More than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in Russia's war with Ukraine, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
"We estimate that North Korean soldiers who recently engaged in fighting with Ukrainian forces have suffered about 1,100 casualties," the JCS statement quoted AFP as saying.
The South Korean general staff has also observed preparations that lead it to believe North Korea is preparing to send new troops to Russia, either as reinforcements or to relieve those already fighting.
Intelligence gathered by South Korea indicates that the North is "in the process of producing and delivering unmanned aerial vehicles for self-destruction" to Russia, to which it is also supplying "240-mm rocket launchers and 170-mm self-propelled guns," according to the ACC.
The South Korean military believes North Korea is trying to upgrade its conventional warfare capabilities with Russian help based on its combat experience against Ukrainian forces.
"This may lead to an increase in the North's military threat against us," the KCS believes.
According to the West, several thousand North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia in recent weeks to support the Russian military.
For its part, the Kremlin has repeatedly dodged questions on the subject, unwilling to confirm the information.
On 17 December, Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Sirskyi said the Russian army was conducting "intensive offensive operations in the Kursk region, actively using units of the North Korean army", adding that the latter had already "suffered heavy losses".
In early August, Ukraine launched a surprise offensive into Russia's Kursk region. It still controls a small part of that territory.
North Korea has never confirmed or denied the presence of its troops alongside Russia.
The two countries strengthened their military ties after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The historic mutual defense treaty between Pyongyang and Moscow, signed in June, took effect at the beginning of the month. It provides for "immediate military assistance" in the event of armed aggression by a third country. | BGNES
