Casualties include senior officers as North Korean forces struggle with unfamiliar terrain and drone warfare
A South Korean lawmaker has confirmed that at least 100 North Korean soldiers have lost their lives in combat since joining Russian forces earlier this month in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Lee Sung-kwon, speaking after a briefing from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service to parliament, revealed that around 1,000 additional North Koreans have been wounded.
Lee mentioned that these casualties included several high-ranking officials. He attributed the heavy losses to the troops’ lack of experience with the challenging terrain and modern drone warfare. The first reports of North Korean casualties emerged earlier this week, following news from October that North Korea had sent approximately 10,000 soldiers to support Russia’s military operations.
A spokesperson for the Pentagon confirmed the deaths of North Korean personnel without specifying numbers, and a US official later indicated that “several hundred” had been either killed or injured. However, these claims have yet to be independently verified by the BBC.
The North Korean soldiers, who lacked previous combat experience, are believed to have spent their initial weeks in Russia undergoing training and serving in support roles. The fatalities are thought to have occurred in the Kursk region of Russia, where Ukrainian forces are holding a strategic area captured during an unexpected assault in August.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia had begun deploying a “significant number” of North Koreans in attacks within Kursk. These forces have not been sent to Ukraine itself, where Russia has been pushing forward in the east in recent months.
Lee Sung-kwon noted that there were reports of plans for additional deployments, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un possibly overseeing training efforts. Intelligence sources suggested that the high casualty rate could be attributed to the “unfamiliar battlefield environment,” where North Korean troops are being used as disposable frontline units with limited capability to defend against drone attacks.
Reports from within the Russian military have indicated that North Korean forces, due to their lack of knowledge about drones, are seen as more of a burden than an asset. Despite these challenges, neither Russia nor North Korea has publicly acknowledged the deployment of the troops. However, a recent statement from North Korea, released by state news agency KCNA, reaffirmed the strength of the alliance with Moscow, claiming it was effectively countering US and Western influence.
