Seoul, Dec 19 At least 100 North Korean troops dispatched to Russia for combat in Ukraine were killed and the number of injured North Korean troops was estimated to reach some 1,000, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers Thursday.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) shared the assessment during a closed-door briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, Rep. Lee Seong-kweun of the ruling People Power Party told reporters.
Some of the estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers deployed in the Kursk border region were sent into actual combat, according to the NIS.
"At least 100 people have been killed in this process, and the number of injured is likely to reach 1,000," the agency said, noting that generals were likely included among the casualties, Yonhap news agency reported.
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.
The agency further noted the North is maintaining a 'low-key' stance on the rapidly changing developments in the South regarding Yoon's impeachment.
North Korean troops suffered 'several hundred casualties' in battle with Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, Reuters reported Tuesday (US time), citing a US military official.
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.
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