South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) estimates that around 4,700 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, lawmakers revealed following a closed-door briefing on Wednesday.
The update comes just days after North Korea officially acknowledged deploying combat troops to aid Russia in reclaiming areas in the Kursk region, which were lost during a surprise Ukrainian offensive last year.
According to South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun, the NIS reported that of the total casualties, approximately 600 North Korean soldiers had died. Around 2,000 injured troops were returned to North Korea between January and March via air and train. The dead were reportedly cremated in Russia before their remains were repatriated.
This marks a sharp rise in estimated losses, up from the 3,000 casualties reported earlier this year. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un framed the troop deployment as part of a mission to "annihilate the Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers" and liberate the Kursk area, a move made under the 2024 North Korea-Russia defense treaty. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed gratitude and vowed to remember the sacrifices of the North Korean troops.
South Korean and U.S. officials have previously stated that North Korea sent up to 12,000 troops to Russia last fall, with about 3,000 more deployed earlier this year. The NIS also believes Russia has compensated North Korea with advanced military equipment, including air defense missiles, drones, electronic warfare tools, and satellite technology.
Additionally, the agency reported that 15,000 North Korean laborers are currently working in Russia under joint industrial programs. Though the value of North Korean military supplies sent to Russia is estimated in the billions, there is no evidence yet of direct monetary payments from Moscow.
