‘At least 100 North Koreans killed’ in Russia war: Seoul lawmaker

At least 100 North Koreans deployed to support Russia’s war effort in Ukraine have been killed since entering combat in December, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters Thursday.

In order to support Russia’s military, Pyongyang has dispatched thousands of troops, including to the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces took control earlier this year.

“In December, they (North Korean troops) engaged in actual combat, during which at least 100 fatalities occurred,” said Lee.

“The National Intelligence Service also reported that the number of injured is expected to reach nearly 1,000.”

Lee stated that there were signs that “several North Korean casualties, including high-ranking officials, had already occurred due to Ukraine’s missile and drone attacks, as well as training accidents” .

The “unfamiliar battlefield environment, where North Korean forces are being used as expendable frontline assault units, and their lack of capability to counter drone attacks,” according to Lee, was the reason given by the NIS for the high death toll.

He stated that “within the Russian military, complaints have reportedly surfaced that the North Korean troops, due to their lack of knowledge about drones, are more of a burden than an asset” .

Lee also said the NIS had heard rumors of additional troop deployments circulating within North Korea’s “Storm Corps”.

“They (NIS) are closely monitoring the possibility of further North Korean troop deployments, while also predicting that Russia might offer reciprocal benefits, such as modernising North Korea’s conventional weaponry,” said Lee.

The report comes after a senior US military official said Tuesday that North Korean forces have suffered “several hundred” casualties fighting against Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk region.

The official’s remarks followed Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine, who said that Russia had employed North Korean forces as the focal point of a multi-day “intensive offensive” in Kursk.

Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, North Korea and Russia have built closer military relations. Earlier this month, Pyongyang and Moscow struck a historic defense agreement in June.

Experts say the nuclear-armed North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, is keen to acquire advanced technology from Russia and battle experience for his troops.