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At least 100 North Koreans deployed to support Russia's war effort in have been killed since entering combat in December, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters Thursday. Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to reinforce the Russian military, including to the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces seized territory earlier this year. "In December, they (North Korean troops) engaged in actual combat, during which at least 100 fatalities occurred," Lee said, speaking after a briefing by South Korea's spy agency.

At least 100 North Koreans deployed to support Russia's war effort in Ukraine have been killed since entering combat in December, South Korean lawmaker Lee Sung-kwon told reporters Thursday.

"In December, they (North Korean troops) engaged in actual combat, during which at least 100 fatalities occurred," said Lee. "The National Intelligence Service also reported that the number of injured is expected to reach nearly 1,000."

The Pentagon has seen “indications” that the North Korean forces who have been sent to Russia to help the Kremlin in its war against Ukraine have suffered their first casualties, according to a U.S. official. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, told reporters on Monday that the North Koreans had entered combat last week in the Russian region of Kursk, where Russia has been trying to recapture territory that Ukraine seized in a surprise cross-border offensive starting in August. “We do assess that North Korean soldiers have...

Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence agency on Saturday claimed North Korean mercenaries accidentally killed eight of their Russian partners in a “friendly fire” attack because of the “language barrier” between soldiers from the two countries. According to HUR, a group of North Korean soldiers operating in Kursk targeted a Chechen Akhmat unit that was also fighting on Russia’s behalf. The “language barrier” presumably made it difficult for the Chechen unit to convince the North Koreans they were on the same side. Kursk is the oblast (province) of Russia that was invaded...

The North Korean troops - none of whom will have any previous combat experience - are believed to have spent their first weeks after being sent to Russia in training and then in support roles. On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian had begun to use a "significant number" in its assaults in Kursk, part of which Ukraine has occupied since launching a surprise incursion in August. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said the US believed North Korean soldiers had "engaged in...

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout with State Department's briefing) By Song Sang-ho WASHINGTON, Dec.

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military intelligence agency and the Pentagon said Monday that some North Korean troops have been killed during combat against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk border region. These are the first reported casualties since the U.S. and Ukraine announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said around 30 North Korean troops were killed or wounded during battle with the Ukrainian army over the weekend. The casualties occurred around three villages...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- The United States has indications that North Korean troops have suffered casualties, including fatalities, during combat alongside Russian forces against Ukraine, Reuters reported Monday, citing a Pentagon spokesperson. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder made the remarks as Kyiv's intelligence authorities have said that some 200 Russian and North Korean soldiers were estimated to have been killed while fighting in combined units against Ukrainian forces. "We do assess that North Korean soldiers have engaged in combat in Kursk ...

North Korean soldiers are starting to sustain heavy losses against Ukrainian troops fighting in Russia’s Kursk region as the Kremlin intensifies its campaign to regain control of the lost territory.

At least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed in three assaults on three villages in the region in the past two days, Ukraine’s Military Intelligence, known as HUR, said on Facebook on Monday.

Ukraine is reporting losses of at least 30 North Korean soldiers killed or wounded over the weekend around several villages on the front in Russia’s Kursk region. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Russia is using North Korean troops to fight against Ukranian forces around three villages in Kursk, where Russia has been trying to quash a Ukrainian incursion since August. A public post from Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (known as GUR) on the Telegram messaging app confirmed Kursk as the site of the North Korean casualties. The...