At least 100 North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine have been killed since entering combat in December, according to South Korean lawmakers.
Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to support Russian forces, including to the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces have made gains. However, Ukrainian and South Korean officials claim that the North Koreans are struggling due to outdated battlefield tactics and a lack of experience with drone warfare, making them easy targets for Ukrainian forces.
The Khorne Group, an organization linked to the 116th separate mechanized brigade and 95th air assault brigade, shared footage showing North Korean soldiers being targeted by Ukrainian drones and images of bodies of North Korean soldiers killed in action.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also claimed that Russian troops are burning the faces of dead North Korean soldiers to conceal their identities, sharing graphic images to illustrate the claim.
According to a report by South Korea’s intelligence services, at least 100 North Korean soldiers have been killed and nearly 1,000 injured since December. The agency also detected signs that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is preparing to train a new special operations force to be deployed to the region.
Despite the high number of casualties, North Korea’s elite Storm Corps, which the initial deployment was drawn from, has the capacity to send further reinforcements, according to the agency. Russia may also offer benefits to North Korea, including modernizing its conventional weaponry, in exchange for its support.
Experts say that North Korea’s lack of experience with drones has resulted in significant losses, with Ukrainian forces exploiting this weakness to target the North Korean troops. Russia’s military tactics, which include using North Korean soldiers as expendable frontline assault units, have also been criticized as ineffective.
In response to the criticism, the North Korean government lashed out at the United States and its allies for criticizing its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, calling it a “reckless provocation.”