Seoul: About 600 North Korean soldiers have reportedly been killed while fighting for Russia against Ukraine, as revealed by South Korea's intelligence agency during a briefing to lawmakers. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) provided this assessment during a closed-door meeting with the National Assembly's intelligence committee. This briefing followed North Korea's admission that it has deployed troops to Russia in support of Moscow's conflict with Ukraine.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the NIS informed lawmakers that North Korea has sent approximately 15,000 troops to Russia, resulting in around 4,700 casualties, including about 600 deaths. The deployment occurred in two phases, with a decrease in combat since April after Russia regained control of most areas in its front-line region of Kursk. Although the agency has not detected further troop deployments from North Korea, it did not dismiss the possibility of future deployments.
In January, the NIS reported that at least 300 North Korean soldiers had been killed in Russia, with around 2,700 others injured. In exchange for its military support, North Korea has reportedly received military hardware such as a spy satellite launchpad, drones, electronic warfare equipment, and SA-22 surface-to-air missiles from Russia. Additionally, the two nations are discussing cooperative efforts for industrial modernization in various sectors, including aviation, energy, and tourism, with the deployment of approximately 15,000 North Korean laborers to Russia.
The NIS conveyed to lawmakers that it is unlikely North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will attend Russia's Victory Day ceremony on May 9, due to an absence of security preparations for his participation. Instead, Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of North Korea's parliamentary standing committee, or other officials, might attend the 80th-anniversary celebration of the Soviet Union's victory over Germany in World War II. The possibility of a visit by Kim to Russia remains open, as relations between the two countries have evolved following confirmation of North Korean troop deployment to Russia.
On the topic of espionage, the NIS reported 11 incidents involving Chinese nationals filming military and other state-protected facilities in South Korea without authorization since last June. The individuals, primarily tourists or students, captured images of sensitive areas such as military bases and NIS facilities. The agency views these actions as low-intensity intelligence activities aimed at gathering information on South Korean and U.S. assets and dispersing counterintelligence resources. The NIS emphasized the need to amend espionage laws to encompass nationals from countries beyond North Korea.