At least 300 North Korean soldiers sent to support Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine have died, while approximately 2,700 others have sustained injuries, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service informed lawmakers on Monday.
The NIS provided these details during a confidential session of the parliamentary intelligence committee, according to Rep. Lee Seong-kweun from the ruling People Power Party.
The agency attributed the “heavy casualties” among North Korean troops to their “lack of familiarity with modern warfare,” including their “ineffectual” practice of firing at long-range drones.
This conclusion was drawn from the NIS’s analysis of recently acquired combat footage.
Furthermore, the agency noted that North Korean soldiers have been instructed to take their own lives rather than risk being captured by Ukrainian forces.
Addressing a recently released video showing two wounded North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region, Lee shared, “The prisoner of war has not expressed his intention to come to South Korea.”
The nearly three-minute video, posted on X by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, featured a soldier with bandaged hands who, when asked if he wanted to return to North Korea, expressed a desire to remain in Ukraine.
The soldier also indicated he was unaware of being sent to fight in the war, shaking his head when asked if he knew he was in Ukraine.
In his post, Zelenskyy stated Ukraine’s readiness to exchange captured North Korean soldiers for Ukrainian captives held in Russia.
The NIS emphasized that if the captured soldiers sought to defect to South Korea, it would consult with Ukraine, prioritizing the soldiers’ preferences.
The agency noted that, under South Korea’s constitutional principles, North Koreans are recognized as South Korean nationals.
It also identified the two soldiers as members of North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, a military intelligence agency.
Reports of North Korean troop deployments have begun circulating within the country, according to the NIS.
Families of deployed soldiers have expressed alarm, describing their loved ones as “slave soldiers” and “cannon fodder.”
However, others, not directly impacted by the deployments, remain hopeful that Russian assistance could improve their living conditions.
The NIS also disclosed evidence of North Korean authorities compensating families of deployed soldiers with provisions such as food and daily necessities.
