World
January 13, 2025 13:42
seoul - The South Korean intelligence service NIS has concluded that North Korean military personnel fighting alongside Russians in Kursk lack expertise in modern warfare.
The exact numbers vary. NIS reported on Monday approximately 300 North Korean casualties and 2,700 wounded. President Volodimir Zelenski, in his daily address to the nation on Sunday, presented a more optimistic - at least for Ukraine - estimation of 4,000 North Korean casualties.
If the estimates of South Koreans and Ukrainians are close and the intelligence indicating some 12,000 North Koreans are active in Kursk is accurate, then a quarter to a third of the forces transferred by Kim Jong-un to the Russians have become casualties of the war.
The NIS stated that the high number of North Korean casualties is due to their outdated military doctrine. A South Korean parliamentarian criticized the performance of North Koreans on the battlefield.
Various North Koreans are said to have committed suicide to avoid falling into Ukrainian hands, possibly out of fear for their treatment. The news of the troops being sent to Russia has caused anxiety among North Korean families.
Families of the deployed soldiers are concerned about the fate of their loved ones, fearing they may be used as 'cannon fodder.' Families are reportedly receiving provisions from the North Korean regime to ease tensions.
Last week, two North Koreans were captured as prisoners of war. Zelenski thanked the troops for their efforts in capturing them and highlighted Russian actions towards wounded North Koreans.
The Ukrainian secret service discovered that one of the captured North Koreans had a fake Russian military passport. The two prisoners are being held in accordance with international rules and are being questioned with South Korean assistance.
The prisoners appear to have little understanding of their situation. In a video, one of them expressed unawareness of fighting against Ukraine. If North Korean prisoners express a desire to defect to South Korea, the NIS is willing to assist. Zelenski expressed interest in exchanging them for Ukrainian prisoners held by the Russians.
Zelenski also mentioned allowing journalists access to the North Korean prisoners at a later date, emphasizing the importance of transparency.