1,000 North Korean Troops Killed And Wounded In Ukraine

The Price of Friendship North Korea More than 1,000 North Korean troops helping Russia fight Ukraine have been killed or wounded, South Korean military officials said Monday, with intelligence agencies warning of additional troop rotations and weapon shipments from Pyongyang to Moscow that could further prolong the conflict and complicate peace efforts, CBS News reported. South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) confirmed that more than 11,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to fight Ukraine, primarily in the Kursk border region, where they have supported Russian forces in taking back territory Ukraine captured earlier this year. Pyongyang has reportedly supplied 240mm rocket launchers, 170mm self-propelled artillery, and suicide drones, signaling a deepening military alliance with Moscow, the JSC noted. The casualties mark North Korea’s first combat exposure since the Korean War ended in 1953. Moscow and Pyongyang have deepened their military and political ties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The two nations formalized their growing alliance through a landmark defense pact signed in June, enabling extensive cooperation on military strategies and technology. Analysts say that North Korea views this partnership as an opportunity to gain access to advanced Russian military systems while bolstering its international relevance amid its continued isolation. Reports from Ukraine allege Russia has used at least 60 North Korean ballistic missiles, and Pyongyang may expand production and supply of suicide drones for Russian use, according to Newsweek. Meanwhile, South Korea’s intelligence agencies raised concerns that the presence of North Korean troops is part of Pyongyang’s plan to modernize its military capabilities using combat experience gained in Ukraine. This development could escalate regional tensions in the Korean Peninsula, with the JCS warning of additional provocations from Pyongyang, such as more nuclear tests and the launching of intercontinental ballistic missiles. On the domestic front, North Korea has intensified its border security measures, constructing a 25-mile electric barbed-wire fence to prevent defections. The country has also launched 7,000 trash balloons into South Korea since May in retaliation for propaganda efforts by South Korean activists. The casualty figures come a month after South Korea and Ukraine pledged to strengthen security cooperation in response to the “threat” posed by the deployment of North Korean troops. Even so, there has been no mention of potential arms shipment from Seoul to Kyiv. Share this story