In a stark revelation, South Korea’s spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), now estimates that approximately 2,000 North Korean soldiers deployed to support Russia’s war in Ukraine have been killed. This updated figure, provided in a briefing to a South Korean lawmaker on Tuesday, represents a significant increase from previous intelligence assessments.
Lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun of the ruling party, who attended the closed-door briefing, told reporters that the NIS had in April placed the number of war dead at “at least 600.” However, based on updated intelligence, the agency now estimates the figure has climbed to around 2,000.
Additional Deployments and Human Cost
According to South Korean and Western intelligence, North Korea has sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia since last fall, primarily to the Kursk region. These troops have been a key part of Russia’s military operations, often being used in frontline assaults, as well as for demining and construction work.
Lawmaker Lee further stated that the NIS believes Pyongyang plans to deploy an additional 6,000 soldiers and engineers, with approximately 1,000 already having arrived in Russia. These new combat engineers are part of what is assessed as a “third deployment plan” to bolster Russian forces.
The significant casualties come after North Korea publicly confirmed in April that its soldiers had been deployed to support Russia’s war effort and had suffered losses in combat. Since the acknowledgment, North Korean state media has shown leader Kim Jong Un meeting with the families of fallen soldiers, offering condolences for their “unbearable pain” and paying his respects by kneeling before portraits of the dead. These actions, widely publicized by North Korean state media, mark a rare public admission of the human cost of the foreign deployment.
The military cooperation between Russia and North Korea has intensified since the two nations signed a mutual defense clause last year during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang.