**North Korean Troops in Russia Were Told They Were Fighting South Korean and Ukrainian Forces**
Soldiers from North Korea who are fighting in Russia’s Kursk Oblast have been told that they are battling both South Korean and Ukrainian militaries. This is according to reports from captured North Korean soldiers, as published by the South Korean newspaper Chosun Daily.
The prisoners of war said that their commanders informed them that they were fighting South Korean troops, which boosted their morale and aggression. They also claimed that the North Korean State Security Ministry monitored their ideological training and discipline.
Up to 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed to Kursk Oblast last fall to support Russian forces in countering a Ukrainian incursion launched in August 2024. The journey took several months, with some soldiers traveling by train, plane, and bus.
The high number of casualties among North Korean forces has been attributed to their lack of combat experience and the use of human wave attacks with limited equipment. Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, made this claim.
**North Korea‘s Deployment to Russia**
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously reported that North Korean forces fighting for Russia had suffered 4,000 casualties, with two-thirds of the losses being soldiers killed. The deployment was part of a larger effort by Russian forces to counter a Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast.
Ukraine’s military intelligence chief attributed the high losses among North Korean troops to their lack of combat experience and their use of human wave attacks with limited equipment.