Seoul [South Korea] April 30 : Around 600 North Korean soldiers are believed to have died while fighting alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine, with more than 4,000 others reportedly injured, South Korea's intelligence agency informed lawmakers on Wednesday, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency.
During a private session with the National Assembly's intelligence committee, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) shared this assessment.
According to lawmakers Lee Seong-kweun from the People Power Party and Kim Byung-kee of the Democratic Party, the NIS reported that approximately 15,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, with total casualties estimated at around 4,700, including 600 fatalities.
North Korea has deployed its troops to Russia over two phases, and fighting has decreased since April after Moscow took back most areas of its front-line region of Kursk, the lawmakers quoted the NIS as saying, Yonhap reported.
In exchange for providing troops and weapons, North Korea is believed to have received military and technological assets from Russia, including a launch site for reconnaissance satellites, drones, electronic warfare systems, and SA-22 surface-to-air missiles.
Additionally, the two nations are reportedly discussing cooperation to modernise North Korea's industries across 14 sectors such as aviation, energy, and tourism. As part of this collaboration, roughly 15,000 North Korean workers have also been sent to Russia, the NIS added.
This assessment comes just two days after North Korea, for the first time, confirmed it had sent troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine, and the "sacred mission" was aimed at strengthening friendship with Moscow.
The state news agency KCNA said that Pyongyang's military claimed its soldiers helped Russian forces "completely liberate" the Kursk border region, according to an order given by Kim Jong Un.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed gratitude to North Korea for helping Russian forces defeat a group of Ukrainian fighters in the Kursk Region. He praised Kim Jong-un and commended Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) soldiers for their "heroism, excellent training and dedication" during the fighting.
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