About 600 North Korean soldiers were killed fighting on the side of Russia against Ukraine, out of a total of 15,000 people, reports Reuters citing South Korean intelligence. North Korea suffered a total of about 4700 casualties, including wounded and dead. The bodies of the deceased North Korean soldiers were cremated in Kursk before being sent home.
According to intelligence, in exchange for sending troops and supplying weapons to Russia, Pyongyang received technical assistance in creating spy satellites, as well as drones and anti-aircraft missiles.
«After six months of participation in the war, the combat capability of the North Korean military has significantly improved as they have become accustomed to using new weapons, such as drones», — said Lee Sung Kwon, a member of the South Korean parliamentary intelligence committee, to journalists.
Earlier this week, Vladimir Putin confirmed that DPRK units participated in combat operations in the Kursk region and thanked them for their assistance. Pyongyang also confirmed the dispatch of its military to Russia. The deployment of North Korean troops was carried out by «order» of Kim Jong Un in accordance with the mutual defense treaty between Pyongyang and Moscow. Kim Jong Un called the dispatch of his military a «sacred mission to further strengthen» friendship and solidarity with Russia and «protect the honor» of North Korea.
The unprecedented deployment by North Korea of thousands of military personnel, as well as a huge amount of artillery ammunition and missiles, gave Russia a decisive advantage on the battlefield and brought the two economically and politically isolated countries closer together.
Pyongyang also reportedly sent about 15,000 workers to Russia, South Korean intelligence reported. The North Korean workforce abroad is known as a source of foreign currency income for the regime, but UN sanctions prohibit its use in third countries.