South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Monday that more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in the war between Russia and Ukraine. At least 100 North Korean soldiers have been killed since the war began in December, according to a report submitted to lawmakers last week by Seoul’s spy agency.
Pyongyang has sent thousands of South Korean troops to support Russian forces, most of whom are believed to be in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces seized territory earlier this year. The JCS statement said, “Through various sources of information and intelligence, we have estimated that approximately 1,100 North Korean soldiers have been killed in recent fighting with Ukrainian forces.”
The JCS said, “We are particularly concerned about the possibility of additional deployments of North Korean troops to assist Russia’s war effort.” According to the JCS, Pyongyang is preparing to “recall the old and deploy new soldiers or additional troops in a cyclical manner.” Nuclear-armed North Korea is “producing and providing drones” to further assist Moscow in its fight against Ukraine, South Korean intelligence agencies have said.
North Korea is also providing ‘240mm rocket launchers and 170mm automatic cannons’ to the Russian military, the JCS said. Seoul has said that North Korea aims to modernize its conventional warfare capabilities based on the experience of the Russia-Ukraine war. “This could increase North Korea’s military threat to us,” the statement said.
The latest findings are consistent with a report by the National Intelligence Service, which was briefed to South Korean lawmakers, which said Russia had agreed to help Pyongyang “modernize” its conventional weapons in exchange for North Korea’s military contributions.
Military ties between North Korea and Russia have strengthened since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The historic defense agreement signed between Pyongyang and Moscow last June has been in effect since December. According to experts, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is interested in acquiring cutting-edge technology and combat experience from Russia for his soldiers.
Pyongyang on Thursday criticized the United States and its allies for issuing a joint statement criticizing North Korea’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Pyongyang called the statement “reckless provocation.”
