British Defense Ministry Reports High Casualties Among North Korean Troops in Ukraine

Britain’s defense ministry reports over 6,000 North Korean troops casualties in Ukraine, more than half of those initially deployed. Operations are primarily in the Kursk region, needing approval for further deployment from Russia and North Korea leaders.

According to a recent assessment by Britain’s defense ministry, over 6,000 North Korean troops have been killed or injured in combat against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region. This number accounts for more than half of the roughly 11,000 troops that were initially sent by Pyongyang to that part of Russia. The updates were shared on Sunday via a post on X, two months after the ministry had reported approximately 5,000 casualties in early April.

The defense ministry specified, “The total casualties amount to more than half of the approximately 11,000 DPRK troops initially deployed to the Kursk region.” The assessment indicates that these significant casualty rates are largely a result of massive and attritional dismounted assaults undertaken by North Korean forces. It appears that these operations have predominantly been confined to the Kursk area thus far.

DPRK is the abbreviation for North Korea’s formal title, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The ministry further mentioned that any move to deploy North Korean troops into actual Ukrainian territories would likely require the authorization of Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Reports also suggest that after initially deploying around 11,000 soldiers to Russia last year, North Korea has sent an extra 3,000 troops to the Kursk region this year alone. Earlier reports from South Korea’s military indicated the National Intelligence Service had shared information with lawmakers in late April that North Korea faced approximately 4,700 casualties, among which around 600 were confirmed deaths due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

In conclusion, the British defense ministry has highlighted a stark increase in North Korean military casualties, surpassing 6,000 in the ongoing war in Ukraine’s Kursk region. Notably more than half of the DPRK contingent has reportedly been affected. The North’s operations remain primarily focused in Kursk, signaling potential strategic constraints on further deployments into Ukraine. This evolving situation underscores the heavy toll of the conflict on the DPRK troops.

Original Source: www.koreaherald.com