About 6,000 North Korean troops killed or wounded in war against Ukraine – Yonhap
Around 6,000 North Korean soldiers fighting on Russia's side in its war against Ukraine have been killed or wounded, according to South Korean intelligence.
Source: South Korean news agency Yonhap
Quote: "Around 10,000 North Korean combat troops and 1,000 engineer troops are currently deployed in the front-line Kursk region of Russia to support Moscow's war with Ukraine, the spy agency said, with an estimated 6,000 North Korean soldiers killed or injured."
Details: The intelligence service also said that roughly 1,100 soldiers who returned to North Korea in December 2025 could be redeployed to Russia to take part in its war against Ukraine.
"Despite suffering 6,000 casualties, the North Korean military has achieved the results of acquiring modern combat tactics and data in the battlefield, as well as upgrading its weapons systems with technical assistance from Russia," South Korean intelligence said.
The agency also noted that Pyongyang has set up a new UAV department and is working to establish a system capable of developing and mass-producing drones.
Background:
- At the end of April 2025, a South Korean lawmaker, citing intelligence, said that about 600 North Koreans had been killed in Russia's war against Ukraine, including while taking part in hostilities in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
- In June, North Korea's state media showed footage of the country's leader Kim Jong Un mourning his soldiers who were reported killed during Russia's war against Ukraine.
- In August, Kim Jong Un decorated soldiers and commanders of his armed forces who had taken part in fighting in Kursk Oblast on the side of Russia and met with the families of those killed.
- In September 2025, reports said that about 2,000 North Korean servicemen sent to Russia to take part in combat operations in Ukraine had been killed.
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