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North Korean troops deployed to Russia suffering low morale and mass casualties, reports say

Published: 03 Jan. 2025, 12:26 Updated: 03 Jan. 2025, 12:28

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

In this screenshot of a video released by Ukrainian media, North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia are seen on the battlefield in the Kursk Oblast in southwestern Russia on Dec. 5. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Ukrainian media reported Friday that the morale of North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia for the war in Ukraine is deteriorating, with incidents of heavy drinking on New Year’s Eve and the Russian military allegedly concealing high casualty numbers among the North Korean troops.

The New Voice of Ukraine, citing the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Ukrainian military, reported that North Korean soldiers stationed at the Kursk Oblast front in southwestern Russia drank alcohol and welcomed the New Year on Dec. 31.

“The morale of the soldiers has dropped — they are subjected to constant Russian army propaganda, which conveys the ‘great importance’ of the North Korean army’s participation in the war against Ukraine,” HUR said, according to the report.

HUR also said through its Telegram channel that lower-ranking Russian military commanders are understating casualty figures and providing false reports to their superiors. Amid ongoing drone attacks by the Ukrainian military, mass casualties among North Korean soldiers have occurred, with the Russian military allegedly falsifying reports to cover up the extent of the losses.

Ukrainian media outlet Evocation Info reported on Dec. 27 that a high-ranking North Korean military officer was sent to the Kursk Oblast to investigate the cause of the heavy troop losses, citing multiple sources.

On Dec. 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers were killed or injured in Kursk."

The White House also confirmed in a briefing on Dec. 27 that "more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers were killed or injured in the past week alone."

Just 10 days after their deployment to the battles in Kursk, four North Korean brigades were rendered incapacitated, according to Evocation Info’s report.

Despite the situation, the Russian military is reportedly concealing the true number of North Korean losses, focusing instead on the importance of the war and continuing to deploy additional troops.

Local media outlets like RBC, citing the Ukrainian Defense Information Service, reported that new North Korean units were deployed to military bases in Kursk Oblast, as well as to the settlements of Ulanok, Panseyevka and Cherkasskaya Konopel'ka on Tuesday and Wednesday.

BY HA SOO-YOUNG, LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]