Out of 15 000 fighters, the DPRK lost about 4 700 soldiers, including 600 dead.
South Korean lawmakers reported on Wednesday, citing intelligence, Reuters reports.
One of the officials added that the bodies of the dead North Korean soldiers were first cremated in Kursk before being returned home.
North Korean fighters have improved their combat capabilities through the use of modern weapons, including drones. The improvement in the skills of North Korean soldiers was previously reported by a spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate (known as GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Andriy Chernyak, who estimated their losses at 5 000.
According to him, after unsuccessful assaults, they changed tactics and now move in groups of 1-2 fighters. The GUR spokesman emphasizes that now we can also talk about more successful training of the military from the DPRK — they have mastered the tactics of using unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare. And now they are also fully mastering the weapons and tactics that Russia uses on the battlefield against Ukraine.
Reuters also writes that in exchange for sending troops and supplying weapons to Russia, North Korea received assistance from Russia in the form of spy satellites, drones, and anti-aircraft missiles.
Participation of the DPRK military in the war in Ukraine
A few days ago, on April 26, Russia also officially acknowledged for the first time the participation of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine. At that time, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov said that the Russian military had allegedly "completely liberated" the Kursk region from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
At the same time, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted as of the evening of April 27 that 21 clashes had occurred in the Kursk direction during the day, and several battles were still ongoing.
Ukrainian intelligence reported on October 24, 2024, that the first soldiers from the DPRK had arrived at the front in the Kursk region. There were approximately 12 000 soldiers, including 500 officers and three generals.
In late December 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that more than 3 000 soldiers from the DPRK had already been killed or wounded. South Korean intelligence estimates that 300 soldiers were killed and nearly 2,700 were wounded in the war.
Zelensky first reported on December 27, 2024, that the Defense Forces had captured North Korean soldiers, but then they died of wounds. The North Korean soldiers were captured for the second time in January 2025. Ukraine is ready to exchange them for its own soldiers.
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