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TL;DR: South Korea's National Intelligence Service reports that around 300 North Korean soldiers have died and 2,700 have been injured in Kursk Oblast due to unfamiliarity with modern warfare. Contrary to Ukrainian President Zelensky's claim of 4,000 casualties, the report highlights North Korean troops' struggles against Ukrainian forces, including futile efforts to combat long-range drones. The NIS also alleges forced suicides among North Korean soldiers to avoid capture, a statement supported by U.S. officials. Meanwhile, two North Korean POWs have been captured, with differing desires about their future, as Ukraine's Security Service investigates with Korean translators.
North Korean Casualties in Kursk Oblast: Seoul Cites 3,000 Victims
According to South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS), approximately 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed and a further 2,700 injured in the Russian region of Kursk Oblast. The NIS released these figures on January 13, with the data being reported by the South Korean news agency, Yonhap.
Unfamiliarity With Modern Warfare Behind High Casualties
The NIS indicates that the high casualty rate is due to the North Korean soldiers' unfamiliarity with modern warfare techniques. What the NIS termed "futile" attempts to neutralize long-range drones is one such aspect of the lack of understanding on the part of the North Korean military.
In the last fall, North Korean soldiers were reportedly positioned in Kursk Oblast to supplement Russian forces, resisting a Ukrainian offensive initiated on August 6. The Ukrainian military has maintained its presence in the region, fortifying its positions for possible future negotiations.
Conflicting Accounts of North Korean Losses and POW Reports
The recent statement by the NIS is in contrast to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's assertion on January 9. Zelensky claimed that North Korean troops fighting alongside the Russian military had incurred 4,000 casualties, inclusive of fatalities and injuries.
The NIS further alleged that North Korean soldiers were compelled to commit suicide to prevent being captured by Ukrainian forces. This claim was confirmed on December 27 by White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby. He acknowledged that some North Korean soldiers had taken their own lives due to fear of potential reprisals against their families in case of capture.
Notably, on January 11, President Zelensky announced the arrest of two North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast. These prisoners of war (POWs), believed by the NIS to be members of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, North Korea's military intelligence agency, are now under the umbrella of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and are receiving medical treatment.
Zelensky shared video footage of the SBU investigating the POWs with the help of Korean translators. One of the detained soldiers expressed a wish to return to North Korea, while the other expressed a desire to stay in Ukraine.
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