The number of North Korean troops killed and wounded in the war on the side of Russia has exceeded 3,000, including approximately 300 killed and 2,700 wounded, South Korea's intelligence agency (NIS) told lawmakers on Monday. This was reported by the Yonhap news agency, UNN reported.
Details
The NIS attributes the "massive losses" of North Korean soldiers to their "lack of understanding of modern warfare," including "futile" long-range shooting at drones, based on an analysis of recently obtained video footage of the fighting.
The spy agency also reported that North Korea emphasizes to its soldiers the need to kill themselves in order to avoid being captured by the Ukrainian military.
Regarding the recent video released by Ukraine of two wounded North Korean soldiers in Russia's western Kursk region, South Korean lawmaker Lee Sung-kyung said: "The prisoners of war did not express their intention to come to South Korea.
SBU provides details about captured DPRK soldiers in Kursk region: video11.01.25, 14:19
In a nearly three-minute video released by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, one of the soldiers replied that he wanted to stay in Ukraine when asked if he wanted to go home.
The soldier also said that he did not know that he was sent to war against Ukraine and shook his head when asked if he knew he was fighting against Ukraine.
According to NIS, the two soldiers served in the General Intelligence Directorate, North Korea's key military intelligence agency.
Previously
The President of Ukraine reported that the DPRK lost 4,000 troops in the war on the side of Russia. North Korean troops are currently operating in the Kursk region of Russia.
On Sunday, January 12, Zelensky announced Ukraine's readiness to hand over North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian soldiers in exchange for the release of Ukrainian soldiers from Russian captivity.