Over 5,000 North Korean soldiers likely killed or injured serving Russia: British Defense Ministry

Over 5,000 North Korean soldiers are likely to have been killed or injured in Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to a new assessment by the British Ministry of Defense.

The figure accounts for as much as one-third — or nearly half — of the total North Korean deployment, pointing to North Korean forces suffering heavy losses on the front lines.

“As of March 2025, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) forces had highly likely sustained over 5,000 casualties in offensive combat operations against Ukrainian forces in the Russian oblast of Kursk,” the ministry wrote in an intelligence update posted on March 28 via social media platform X.

DPRK refers to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea‘s official name.

It further estimated that “approximately a third of the casualties” were killed in action.

South Korean military and intelligence officials believe North Korea initially sent around 11,000 troops to Russia last year and dispatched an additional 3,000 between January and February this year.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed on March 27 an approximate 4,000 North Korean casualties, with the Britain’s updated estimate suggesting the real number could be higher.

The high casualty rate reflects the role North Korean troops are playing on the battlefield — leading high-risk, front-line assault operations.

Ukrainian Senior Sergeant Petro Haidashchuk said in a local media interview in January that North Korean forces were tasked with spearheading assault operations, while Russian soldiers follow behind and secure the areas they seize, citing what Russian prisoners of war reported.

These methods have reportedly left North Korean troops vulnerable to Ukrainian artillery and drone strikes, leading them to be widely described as “meat grinder” tactics.

South Korean lawmaker Yoo Yong-won of the People Power Party, who recently visited Ukraine, said that North Korean troops were being used as cannon fodder, displaying a kind of blind, unthinking combat aggression.

“Ukrainian officials told me they can’t understand why North Korean troops are attempting such aggressive breakthroughs despite the high number of casualties,” Yoo said. “They asked, ‘Why are they so desperate?’”

Analysts say these high-risk North Korean operations are likely to continue.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no signs of backing down on territorial concessions in ongoing cease-fire talks.

The Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion in Russia’s southwest, is particularly important for the Kremlin as regaining as much lost ground as possible would strengthen Russia’s hand in negotiations, making Pyongyang’s involvement all the more critical for Putin.

While taking heavy losses on the ground, North Korea is also reportedly expanding its reach in space warfare.

U.S. Secretary of the Air Force nominee Troy Meink told the Senate Armed Services Committee that North Korea has “already demonstrated the ability to jam satellite communications and GPS.”

In his written testimony submitted last Thursday, Meink warned that both North Korea and Iran are developing independent space programs.

While they may not rival those of great powers, he noted that they will be able to “exploit the domain to their own ends” and potentially “employ counterspace technologies” against the United States.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]