Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that the number of North Korean soldiers killed or injured in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has reached 4,000.
According to Interfax Ukraine and other local media reports on January 9, Zelensky made the announcement during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin continues to invest in this aggression, even doubling down on it,” Zelensky said. He added, “Putin has even started hiring soldiers from North Korea to prolong this war. North Korea is learning modern warfare methods, but they do not value their people, having already lost 4,000 soldiers.”
Zelensky’s remarks come just days after he stated during a podcast interview with Lex Fridman on January 5 that 3,800 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded as of that date. This suggests that approximately 200 additional casualties occurred over the span of four days.
On December 27, John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, reported that North Korean forces were employing human wave tactics against Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region, but with limited success and significant casualties. Kirby further noted that when faced with situations where surrender was imminent, some North Korean soldiers reportedly chose suicide, fearing retribution against their families back in North Korea.
Kirby also criticized Putin and Kim Jong-un, accusing them of treating North Korean soldiers as “expendable” and ordering “hopeless assaults” on Ukrainian defenses. The escalating casualties among North Korean forces have raised concerns about the humanitarian impact of their deployment.
According to intelligence from U.S. and Ukrainian sources, approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russian-occupied territories in the Kursk region. Despite being integrated into Russian forces, these troops have suffered heavy casualties due to Ukraine’s drone strikes and artillery attacks in open fields, where cover is scarce.
Reports indicate that declining morale among North Korean troops has become evident, with instances of soldiers becoming intoxicated on New Year’s Eve surfacing. Meanwhile, despite heavy losses, Russian forces continue to leverage North Korean manpower to gain an advantage in the ongoing battles around Kursk.
BY YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]
