A significant development has been reported by South Korean lawmakers following an intelligence briefing regarding the estimated casualties among North Korean soldiers during their involvement in Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
According to South Korean officials Lee Seong-kweun and Kim Byung-kee, approximately 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed in the war, with a total of 4,700 either killed or injured. This information was revealed after a confidential briefing conducted by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) on Wednesday.
The lawmakers, who lead the legislature’s intelligence committee, provided these details just days after North Korea officially acknowledged, for the first time, its deployment of military forces to support Russia in the conflict against Ukraine.
In an official statement from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stated he had authorized the deployment of troops to aid in the “annihilation and cleansing” of the Ukrainian “neo-Nazi occupiers” and to help liberate the Kursk region in partnership with the Russian military.
Notably, these newest casualty estimates represent a sharp increase from the NIS’s January briefing to lawmakers, which reported roughly 300 North Korean military deaths. The NIS is said to estimate that around 15,000 North Korean soldiers have been involved in the conflict entirely.
Lee and Kim, members of the conservative People Power Party and the liberal Democratic Party respectively, also highlighted during their press briefing that North Korea has received technical support for spy satellites in exchange for its military support. Additionally, North Korea has reportedly obtained drones, electronic warfare equipment, and SA-22 surface-to-air missiles to bolster its capabilities. Lee Seong-kweun noted that after half a year participating in the conflict, the North Korean military’s proficiency has notably improved, partly due to familiarity with new weaponry like drones.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/30/about-600-north-korean-soldiers-killed-in-war-in-ukraine-lawmakers-say?traffic_source=rss
