South Korean lawmakers revealed the casualties of North Korean soldiers fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine, citing information from Seoul's spy agency. The revelation comes after Ukrainian President Zelenskyy captured two North Korean soldiers and proposed a prisoner swap.
Around 300 North Korea n soldiers were killed and 2,700 were injured while fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine, a South Korean lawmaker said on Monday, citing information from Seoul's spy agency. Seoul previously claimed that North Korea n leader Kim Jong Un had sent more than 10,000 soldiers as 'cannon fodder' to help Moscow fight Kyiv, in return for Russian technical assistance for Pyongyang's heavily sanctioned weapons and satellite programs.
Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv had captured two North Korean soldiers, releasing a video of the injured combatants being interrogated and raising the possibility of a prisoner swap for captured Ukrainian troops. 'The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia has reportedly expanded to include the Kursk region, with estimates suggesting that casualties among North Korean forces have surpassed 3,000,' lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters after a briefing from the National Intelligence Service (NIS). This includes 'approximately 300 deaths and 2,700 injuries,' he said. The soldiers, reportedly from North Korea's elite Storm Corps, have been ordered to kill themselves rather than be taken prisoner, Lee said. 'Notably, memos found on deceased soldiers indicate that the North Korean authorities pressured them to commit suicide or self-detonate before capture,' he said. The legislator added that some of the soldiers had been granted 'amnesty' or wanted to join the Workers' Party of North Korea, hoping to improve their lot by fighting. One North Korean soldier who was about to be captured shouted 'Gen. Kim Jong Un' and attempted to detonate a grenade, Lee said, adding that he was shot and killed. The NIS analysis also revealed that the North Korean soldiers have 'a lack of understanding of modern warfare,' and are being used by Russia in a manner leading to 'the high number of casualties,' the lawmaker said. Soldiers captured In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday, Zelenskyy said: 'Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un's soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia.' There would 'undoubtedly be more' North Korean soldiers captured by Kyiv, he added. 'For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available,' said the president. Ukraine, the United States and South Korea have accused nuclear-armed North Korea of sending more than 10,000 soldiers to help bolster Russian forces. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has acknowledged that North Koreans have been deployed to fight against Ukraine. The two countries have boosted their military cooperation since Russia began its invasion in February 2022. The video Zelenskyy posted of the interrogation of the two North Korean prisoners of war shows one lying in a bunk bed and the other sitting up with a bandage around his jaw. One man can be heard speaking to a Ukrainian official through an interpreter, saying he did not know he was going to fight in a war with Ukraine and that his commanders 'told him it was just training.' In translated comments, one of the men says he wants to return to North Korea. The other says he will do what he is told but, if given the chance, wants to live in Ukraine
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