What's New
A new report from South Korea's spy agency released on Thursday says that at least 100 North Korean troops have been killed after being dispatched to Russia to fight in the war on Ukraine, and another 1,000 have been injured.
This comes after an expert told Newsweek that Pyongyang's troops have "now become Putin's cannon fodder."
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry and the South Korean Ministry for foreign affairs via email for comment.
Why It Matters
North Korea's entry into the Ukraine war was a major development in the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Pyongyang has sent 11,000 troops to fight against Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region, which has been partially occupied since a surprise incursion by Kyiv's forces in August.
Zelenksy has warned the West that Moscow has gathered 50,000 troops to fight against Ukrainian forces in Kursk. The Pentagon has said that Pyongyang's troops have been readying for combat.
What To Know
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a closed-door parliamentary briefing that the Russian military has complained North Korean troops lack drone response capabilities, according to the Yonhap News Agency.
The NIS also said that North Korean troops are being mainly mobilized as front-line storm troopers.
It has also detected signs that the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is making preparations to train a special operation force that will be dispatched to Ukraine, Yonhap reported.
What People Are Saying
Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder has said the North Koreans had: "suffered casualties, both killed and wounded."
In a previous email shared with Newsweek Edward Howell, Korea Foundation fellow at the Chatham House think tank in London, said: "North Korean troops have now become Putin's cannon fodder."
On December 16, Zelensky posted on X that: "Russia not only sends the North Korean troops to storm Ukrainian positions, but also tries to conceal losses of these people."
"There is not a single reason for North Koreans to fight and die for Putin," Zelensky wrote.
What's Next
Russian forces have advanced into the main Ukrainian salient in Kursk, the Institute for the Study of War has said.
Russia's push comes as President Vladimir Putin looks to capture as much territory as he can prior to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.
Trump's second term in office will likely mark a shift in the U.S. approach to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
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