Seoul: Around 100 North Korean troops have been killed in Russia-Ukraine war who have been dispatched to Russia to combat in Ukraine, 1,000 soldiers have been injured so far in this, a report on Thursday said.
The assessment report was shared by the National Intelligence Service (NIS), during a closed-door briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, Rep. Lee Seong-kweun of the ruling People Power Party told the media.
The reports also said that around 11,000 North Korean soldiers deployed in the Kursk border region were sent into actual combat.
“At least 100 people have been killed in this process, and the number of injured is likely to reach 1,000,” the reports said.
The NIS attributed the high number of casualties to the fact that North Korean troops are being ‘consumed’ as front-line storm troopers in ‘unfamiliar battlefields’ due to their lack of experience with drones.
Russia’s military has complained that the North Korean soldiers are a ‘burden’ because of their ‘ignorance’ of drones, it added.
The agency also said it detected signs North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is planning to inspect the training of a special operation force, which could be dispatched to Ukraine.
“No signs of imminent provocations” from North Korean against the South were detected following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched attempt at martial law and impeachment, it added.
Earlier on December 16, some 200 Russian and North Korean soldiers were estimated were killed while fighting in combined units against Ukrainian forces, Kyiv’s intelligence authorities said, without specifying the number of casualties for each side.