Russia’s North Korean troops suffered more than 4,700 casualties, including 600 deaths: Seoul | World News
Seoul: Seoul’s spy agency told lawmakers on Wednesday that North Korean troops were believed to have suffered more than 4,700 casualties, including 600 deaths, fighting alongside Russian troops in the war with Ukraine. According to Lee Seong-kweun of the People’s Power Party and Kim Byung-kee of the Democratic Party, the National Intelligence Agency (NIS) evaluated in a closed briefing by the National Assembly Intelligence Committee.
North Korea has also deployed 15,000 soldiers to Russia in two phases, and combat has decreased since April, according to lawmakers citing NIS. They said the spy agency has not found any signs of North Korean troops deploying another unit, but it does not rule out its possibility.
The announcement was confirmed on Monday that North Korea had sent troops to help Russia operate, with state-owned KCNA claiming its soldiers helped Moscow regaining Ukrainian-occupied areas on the Kursk border area.
Russian News reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for deploying troops to support the war with Ukraine and to ensure that their two-way friendship (established on the battlefield) will continue to develop.
Russian news agency Tass reported that Putin extended the information to Kim by “the help of North Korea to liberate the Kursk region from the Ukrainian formation”, Russian news agency Tass reported that the Kremlin’s news service was attended just hours after Pyongyang officially confirmed its troops to Russia.
Putin said: “We are very grateful for this and express our gratitude to the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Kim Jong-un and the people and people of North Korea as a whole.” Putin also said that the strong bond of friendship and cooperation established by Russia and North Korea on the battlefield will continue to grow and expand in the lineup.
On Monday, North Korea confirmed for the first time that it had deployed its troops to Russia in support of Moscow’s war against Ukraine under its mutual defense treaty, claiming that soldiers from the north helped Russia regain control of Kursk. According to the “Korea Central News Agency” report, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s “order” was conducted in accordance with a joint defense treaty between Pyongyang and Moscow.
The KCNA, citing the Central Military Commission in the North, reported the first confirmation of the deployment of troops to Russia, and several months later, thousands of North Korean troops were sent to Russia to fight in frontier areas in Kursk.
Meanwhile, South Korea strongly condemned North Korea’s first public recognition of sending its troops to Russia in support of its war against Ukraine and accused Pyongyang of “dreaming” the international community by justifying the deployment.
The Foreign Ministry issued a statement that the North confirmed for the first time through its state media that it had deployed its troops to Russia to assist Moscow in the war in Kiev under the Kiev joint defense treaty. Pyongyang said the decision was made at the request of its leader Kim Jong-un and claimed it was completely legal, the treaty was provided by both countries under the treaty in case of attack.
“With the public acknowledging the deployment, they claim they are fully in line with international law, and they once again laugh at the international community. We strongly condemn this action,” the ministry said. “The dispatch of North Korean forces and the broader military cooperation between Russia and North Korea constitutes a serious violation of international norms, including the UN Charter and resolutions of the UN Security Council.”
The government urges Russia and North Korea to “immediately stop their illegal military cooperation, stressing that it has “seriously undermined peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, including Europe”. “We will work closely with the international community to take all necessary measures against any action threatening our national security. ”
