“An estimated 4,700 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded while fighting alongside Russia against Ukrainian forces,” South Korea’s spy company instructed lawmakers on Wednesday (April 20, 2025.)
The evaluation got here two days after North Korea confirmed for the primary time that it had despatched fight troops to assist Russia recapture elements of the Kursk area, which it misplaced management of to a shock Ukrainian incursion final yr.
“In a closed-door Parliamentary committee briefing, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said North Korea had suffered 4,700 casualties, including 600 deaths, on the Russia-Ukraine battlefronts,” in line with Lee Seong Kweun, one of many lawmakers who attended the assembly.
North Korean soldiers ‘highly likely’ killed in Ukraine: Seoul
Mr. Lee instructed reporters the NIS mentioned 2,000 injured North Korean soldiers had been repatriated to North Korea by air or practice between January and March. He cited the NIS as saying the useless North Korean soldiers had been cremated in Russia earlier than their stays had been despatched again residence.
In January, the NIS mentioned about 300 North Korean soldiers had died and one other 2,700 had been injured, and the South Korean army elevated the estimated casualties to 4,000 final month.
Putin thanks North Korea for sending its troops to combat Ukraine in Kursk area
On Monday (April 28, 2025), North Korea introduced that chief Kim Jong Un had determined to dispatch troops to “annihilate and wipe out the Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers and liberate the Kursk area in cooperation with the Russian armed forces.” Russian President Vladimir Putin later issued a press release thanking North Korea and promising to not overlook the sacrifices of North Korean soldiers.
Both Mr. Kim and Mr. Putin mentioned the North Korean deployment was made below their nations’ landmark 2024 defence treaty, which requires both sides to offer assist if the opposite is attacked.
The U.S., South Korea and their companions say North Korea has been supplying huge quantities of typical weapons to replenish Russia’s depleted shares as properly. They suspect Russia is offering North Korea with army and financial help in return.
The U.S., South Korean and Ukraine officers have mentioned North Korea dispatched 10,000-12,000 troops to Russia final fall. South Korea’s army mentioned in March that North Korea despatched about 3,000 extra troops to Russia earlier this yr.
During its Wednesday (April 30, 2025) briefing, the NIS mentioned it assessed that Russia has given North Korea air defence missiles, digital warfare gear, drones and expertise for spy satellite tv for pc launches, in line with Kim Byung-kee, one other lawmaker who attended the NIS briefing.
Kim quoted the NIS as saying that 15,000 North Korean labourers have additionally been despatched to Russia below bilateral industrial cooperation programmes. The lawmaker mentioned the quantity of North Korean missiles and artillery despatched to Russia was value billions of {dollars} however the NIS hasn’t detected indicators that Russia has despatched North Korea money remittances for them.
Published – April 30, 2025 12:42 pm IST
