Half of the thousands of North Korean troops sent to help Russia’s attempted invasion of Ukraine have died in action, according to British Defence Intelligence.
Roughly 11,000 troops have beendispatched by Kim Jong Un to aid Vladimir Putin’s war effort in Eastern Europe since 2022 as the ties between their two countries has become closer.
Now it has been revealed that more than 6,000 soldiers from North Korea have lost their lives after being stationed to the frontline in the Kurk region
If British intelligence figures are correct, more than half of these soldiers have been killed in the Kursk region.
The UK Ministry of Defence posted on its official X account: “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) forces have highly likely sustained more than 6,000 casualties in offensive combat operations against Ukrainian forces in the Russian oblast of Kursk,”
“The total casualties amount to more than half of the approximately 11,000 DPRK troops initially deployed to the Kursk region. Open-source reports suggest DPRK has subsequently deployed limited numbers of additional troops to Kursk.
“Significant DPRK casualty rates have almost certainly been sustained primarily through large, highly attritional dismounted assaults.”
Earlier this month, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu attended a meeting with Kim Jong Un, his second in less than three months as the two nations continue to strengthen ties.
Russia is also believed to be helping North Korea address stumbling blocks in their nuclear submarine program and have equipped Pyongyang with blueprints to create long-range killer drones.
Ukrainian intelligence commander Lt-Gen Kyrylo Budanov claims North Korea may soon have the capability to create Shahed drones, similar to those being deployed in Israel by Iran.
Ex-defence minister Shoigu has been a key ambassador for Russia’s relationship with North Korea, according to British intelligence.
“DPRK operations have thus far been confined to the Kursk region. Any decision to deploy into internationally recognised, sovereign Ukrainian territory in support of Russian forces would almost certainly require sign-off from both Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un,” the MoD added.
Kim Jong Un broadcast a message to his Russian counterpart, Putin, earlier this week, underlining his country’s intention to continue to stand alongside Moscow.
In the Russia Day, a holiday celebrating Russia’s independence, statement, Kim dubbed Putin his “dearest comrade” and praised their bilateral relations as a “genuine relationship between comrades-in-arms,” state media reported.
“It is an unshakable will of the government of the DPRK and of my own steadfastly to carry on the DPRK-Russia relations,” Kim added.