Home > National > North Korea

More than 3,000 North Korean troops killed or wounded in Russia’s Kursk region, Zelensky says

Published: 24 Dec. 2024, 11:37

A screen capture on Monday shows a photo from the Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda of what it described to be Russian and North Korean soldiers killed in combat. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

More than 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed or wounded in Russia's western front line region of Kursk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, raising concern about the potential deployment of additional North Korean troops and equipment to Russia.

Zelensky unveiled the figure Monday on the social media platform X, a number far exceeding South Korea's estimate of around 1,100 North Korean casualties, including at least 100 killed.

"According to preliminary data, the number of North Korean soldiers killed and wounded in the Kursk region has already exceeded 3,000," he said, citing a report he received from Ukraine's top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Zelensky said there are risks of North Korea sending more troops and military equipment to the Russian military, warning of "tangible" responses in the event of such actions.

"It is important for the world to understand that the risk of destabilization around the Korean Peninsula and in neighboring regions or waters increases proportionally with the growing cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang," he said.

On Monday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea appears to be making preparations to deploy more troops and military equipment to Russia, which could possibly include suicide drones.

South Korea's spy agency has said that around 11,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia to fight in its war against Ukraine.

Yonhap