South Korea says more than 1,000 North Koreans were killed in the Russia-Ukraine war

One thousand and one hundred North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded in the Russian war with UkrainePyongyang may be preparing to deploy more North Korean soldiers to the areaSouth Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday. This information comes in the wake of a report issued by the South Korean spy agency last week that stated that at least 100 North Korean soldiers had been killed since they entered the fighting in December.

Pyongyang It has sent thousands of troops to reinforce the Russian army, including to the Kursk border region where Ukrainian forces seized territory earlier this year.

“Through various sources of information and intelligence, we estimate that North Korean forces recently engaged in combat with Ukrainian forces have suffered approximately 1,100 casualties,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

“We are particularly interested in the possibility of deploying more North Korean soldiers to assist the Russian war effort,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding that reports indicate Pyongyang is “preparing for an additional rotation or deployment of soldiers.”

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said intelligence also indicated that nuclear-armed North Korea was “producing and providing self-destructing drones” to Russia to further assist Moscow in its war against Ukraine, and that North Korea was supplying “240mm rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled artillery.” . “For the Russian army.

The South Korean military said that North Korea aims to modernize its conventional warfare capabilities based on combat experience in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

She added, “This may lead to an increase in North Korea’s military threat toward us.”

The latest findings are consistent with a report by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, which told lawmakers that “Russia may provide reciprocal benefits” for North Korea’s military contributions, including “the modernization of North Korea’s conventional weapons.”

Military relations between North Korea and Russia

North Korea and Russia have strengthened their military relations since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The historic defense agreement between Pyongyang and Moscow, signed in June, entered into force this month, and experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is keen to obtain advanced technology from Russia and combat experience for his forces.

Pyongyang on Thursday criticized what it called a “reckless provocation” by the United States and its allies over issuing a joint statement criticizing North Korea’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, including the deployment of troops.

South Korea and Ukraine announced last month that they would enhance security cooperation in response to the “threat” posed by the North Korean troop deployment, but there was no mention of possible arms shipments from Seoul to Kiev.

Suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said in November that Seoul “does not rule out the possibility of providing weapons” to Ukraine, which would represent a major shift in its long-standing policy of banning arms sales to countries in active conflict.

North Korea builds a new border fence

The North Korean military was also seen building a new fence extending 25 miles along the border with the South, and testing a razor wire electric fence with what appear to be goats.

A photo released by the Joint Chiefs of Staff shows a North Korean soldier holding what appears to be a goat in front of a barbed wire fence.

A military official told reporters that security reinforcements on the North Korean border have been continuing “for eight months, with the participation of up to 10,000 soldiers.”

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said in its report that the enhanced security measures are intended to “prevent the defection south of North Korean civilians and soldiers.”

It also shot north around 7,000 balloons to carry garbage The South Korean military said that North Korea had infiltrated the South 32 times since last May.

Activist groups in South Korea have long sent propaganda north, usually carrying balloons, including leaflets, US dollar bills and sometimes USB drives containing K-pop music or K-dramas, which are banned in the tightly controlled North.

Pyongyang condemns such activities and said that its attack with balloons carrying garbage comes in response to the propaganda efforts made by activists.

The South Korean military said that while Pyongyang had refrained from launching such balloons since November 29, “indications that it was preparing for a surprise launch in multiple locations” had been observed.