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A top US official has revealed that North Korean troops are suffering catastrophic casualties while aiding Russian forces in their war against Ukraine, with over 1,000 killed or injured in the past week alone due to “human wave” assaults in the Kursk region.
Some shit you should know before you read: Back in September, western intelligence agencies began raising the alarm about North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine, revealing that at least 11,000 North Korean troops had been sent to support Russian forces in the contested Kursk region. Ukrainian officials have further indicated that North Korea might deploy up to 100,000 soldiers to bolster Russia’s war effort. The North Korean soldiers have been spotted in Russia’s Kursk region, which Ukraine seized in a surprise counteroffensive earlier this year and is still under Ukrainian control despite intense fighting. South Korea’s intelligence services have reported that North Korea’s military assistance to Russia is part of a broader exchange, with Pyongyang receiving advanced military technologies, including aircraft and other strategic systems, from Moscow in return for its support.
What’s going on now: During an impromptu press conference, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby revealed that North Korean losses in the war were staggering, noting that more than 1,000 had been killed in the last week alone. He said, “It is clear that Russian and North Korean military leaders are treating these troops as expendable and ordering them on hopeless assaults against Ukrainian defenses. These North Korean soldiers appear to be highly indoctrinated, pushing attacks even when it is clear that those attacks are futile.”
Kirby also noted the psychological toll on the troops, reporting that some have resorted to suicide out of fear of reprisals against their families if captured. He said, “We also have reports of North Korean soldiers taking their own lives rather than surrendering to Ukrainian forces, likely out of fear of reprisal against their families in North Korea in the event that they’re captured.”
The remarks from Kirby echo statements from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian military intelligence, which have said that “more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured since their deployment,” describing their involvement as a consequence of authoritarian regimes exploiting their people.
