300 North Korean soldiers killed fighting in Ukraine: Seoul

Around 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed and 2,700 injured while fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine, a South Korean lawmaker said Monday, citing information from Seoul's spy agency.

Seoul has previously claimed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent more than 10,000 soldiers as "cannon fodder" to help Moscow fight Kiev, in return for Russian technical assistance for Pyongyang's heavily sanctioned weapons and satellite programmes.

Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kiev had captured two North Korean soldiers, releasing video of the injured combatants being interrogated and raising the possibility of a prisoner swap for captured Ukrainian troops.

"The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia has reportedly expanded to include the Kursk region, with estimates suggesting that casualties among North Korean forces have surpassed 3,000," lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters after a briefing from the spy agency.

This includes "approximately 300 deaths and 2,700 injuries," Lee said, after a briefing from Seoul's National Intelligence Service.

The soldiers, reportedly from North Korea's elite Storm Corps, have been ordered to kill themselves rather than be taken prisoner, Lee said.

"Notably, memos found on deceased soldiers indicate that the North Korean authorities pressured them to commit suicide or self-detonate before capture," he said.

Soldiers captured

In a post on social media platform X Sunday, Zelenskyy said: "Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un's soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia."

There would "undoubtedly be more" North Korean soldiers captured by Kiev, he added.

"For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available," said Zelenskyy.

Ukraine, the United States and South Korea have accused North Korea of sending more than 10,000 soldiers to help bolster Russian forces.

Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has acknowledged that North Koreans have been deployed to fight against Ukraine.

The two countries have boosted their cooperation since Russia launched its 2022 military campaign of Ukraine.

The video posted by Zelenskyy of the interrogation of the two North Korean prisoners of war shows one lying in a bunk bed and the other sitting up with a bandage around his jaw.

In translated comments, one of the men says he wants to return to North Korea.