As of today, approximately 300 soldiers of North Korea's military contingent have died in the Kursk region. This is 200 more than reported in December.
This information was reported by the Yonhap news agency.
According to an assessment by the National Intelligence Service of the Republic of Korea, the total losses of North Korean troops in the region amount to about 3,000 individuals, including 300 killed and 2,700 wounded.
In December, South Korean intelligence reported losses of 100 killed and around 1,000 wounded North Korean soldiers.
On Saturday, January 11, Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean army soldiers for the first time.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) shared this information with lawmakers during a closed session of the parliamentary intelligence committee, according to Lee Sung Kwon, a representative of the ruling People Power Party.
Based on an analysis of a recently obtained video of combat operations, the NIS stated that it attributes the "massive losses" of North Korean soldiers to their "lack of understanding of modern warfare," including "futile" attempts to shoot down drones from long distances.
Additionally, South Korea's intelligence agency claims that, due to the situation on the front lines, North Korea is employing radical measures, forcing its soldiers to commit suicide to "avoid being captured alive by Ukrainian forces."
Commenting on a three-minute video released by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which shows two wounded North Korean soldiers in Russia's western Kursk region, Lee noted that the soldiers "did not appear to intend to defect to South Korea."
