Written by Jack Kim
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean lawmakers said on Thursday, citing the country’s intelligence agency, that at least 100 North Korean troops are being sent to Russia to fight Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, where heavy fighting continues. It was announced that 1,000 people were killed and another 1,000 injured.
Congressman Lee Sung-geun told reporters that the heavy losses were due to the North Korean military’s lack of experience in drone warfare and its unfamiliarity with the open terrain in which it engages in combat.
Mr Lee made the remarks after a closed session in parliament by the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Lee said the discrepancy between the death toll estimate and that of U.S. military officials, who put hundreds of casualties, was due to the National Intelligence Service’s relatively conservative analysis.
“There are reports that at least 100 people have been killed and the number of injured is approaching 1,000,” he said.
Lee said there are signs that North Korea is preparing for additional deployments, including information from the country’s leader Kim Jong Un, who is overseeing the drills.
The report said North Korea’s losses were heavy and that U.S. and Ukrainian officials say Russia is using large numbers of North Koreans to carry out attacks in the Russian region of Kursk, where Ukraine launched an invasion across the border in August. This reflects the comments of
More than 10,000 North Korean troops are being sent to support Russia’s war effort, according to U.S. and South Korean officials. North Korea also transported more than 10,000 containers containing artillery shells, anti-tank rockets, mechanized howitzers and rocket launchers.
Neither North Korea nor Russia officially acknowledges sending troops or providing weapons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang in June and signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, including a mutual defense agreement.
Earlier on Thursday, North Korea said its military alliance with Russia has proven to be “very effective” in deterring the United States and its “client forces,” adding He condemned the allies’ recent statements.
North Korea has not mentioned its involvement in the Ukraine war or any casualties.
Instead, a statement issued by the United States, nine countries and the European Union on Monday accused North Korea and Russia of “distorting and defaming the essence of normal cooperative relations”.
In a statement from an anonymous Foreign Ministry spokesperson, North Korea accused the United States and its allies of prolonging the war in Ukraine and destabilizing the security situation in Europe and the Asia-Pacific.
“This is due to the mistakes of the United States and Western countries in continuing structurally destructive, hegemonic, and adventurist military policies,” the report said.
