Seoul: North Korean troops are believed to have suffered over 4,700 casualties, including 600 deaths, while fighting alongside Russian forces in the ongoing conflict against Ukraine, as reported by Seoul's spy agency to lawmakers.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this assessment was provided by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) during a closed-door briefing for the National Assembly's intelligence committee. Reps. Lee Seong-kweun of the People Power Party and Kim Byung-kee of the Democratic Party relayed the information following the briefing.
North Korea has reportedly deployed a total of 15,000 troops to Russia across two phases. The intensity of fighting has decreased since April after Russian forces regained control of most areas of the front-line region of Kursk, as per the lawmakers' quotes from the NIS.
The spy agency has not yet detected any signs of additional troop deployments by North Korea, although the possibility has not been ruled out, according to the lawmakers.