North Korea Lost 4,700 Soldiers in Fighting with Ukrainians

(Patria) - Around 600 North Korean soldiers were killed and 4,100 were wounded fighting on Russia's side against Ukraine out of a total of 15,000 soldiers, South Korean lawmakers stated yesterday, citing the country's intelligence agency.

North Korea has suffered about 4,700 casualties so far - including injuries and deaths, although its troops have shown signs of improved combat capabilities during approximately six months of using modern weapons such as drones, lawmakers said.

In exchange for sending troops and supplying weapons to Russia, Pyongyang appears to have received technical assistance in the form of spy satellites, as well as drones and anti-aircraft missiles.

- After six months of participation in the war, the North Korean army has become stronger, and its combat capability has significantly improved as it has become accustomed to using new weapons such as drones - Lee Seong-kweun, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters after being briefed by South Korea's National Intelligence Service.

Pyongyang confirmed for the first time earlier this week that it had sent troops to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine on the orders of leader Kim Jong-un and that it had helped regain control of Russian territory occupied by Ukraine.

The unprecedented deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers, as well as large quantities of artillery ammunition and missiles, has given Russia a key advantage on the battlefield in the western Kursk region and brought the two economically and politically isolated countries closer.

Lawmaker Lee added that the bodies of the killed North Korean soldiers were cremated in Kursk before being sent home.

Pyongyang is also believed to have sent about 15,000 workers to Russia, lawmakers said, citing intelligence estimates.

North Korea's overseas labor force is known as a source of hard currency revenue for the regime, but UN sanctions prohibit the use of North Korean labor in third countries.