British Defense Ministry Reports Over 5,000 North Korean Casualties in Kursk Region
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Synopsis
The British Defense Ministry reports that North Korean troops have suffered over 5,000 casualties in Kursk while fighting Ukrainian forces, with significant losses affecting their military presence in the region.
Key Takeaways
- North Korean troops have faced over 5,000 casualties in Kursk.
- One-third of these losses were fatalities.
- The casualty rate represents nearly half of the initial troop deployment.
- Recent operations have been confined to Kursk.
- High casualty rates are due to attritional dismounted assaults.
Seoul, April 2 (NationPress) North Korean troops have sustained more than 5,000 casualties while engaging Ukrainian forces in Russia's western front-line area of Kursk, according to the British defense ministry. As of last month, around a third of the total casualties were reported killed in action, based on an intelligence update shared on the ministry's X account on Friday.
This casualty count represents nearly half of the initial 11,000 troops North Korea dispatched to Russia last year to support its military campaign against Ukraine, as reported by the Yonhap news agency.
The ministry noted, "Significant DPRK casualty rates have almost certainly been sustained primarily through large, highly attritional dismounted assaults," referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
It highlighted that North Korean and Russian forces have achieved territorial gains in Kursk in recent weeks, while emphasizing that any decision to extend operations into Ukrainian territory would necessitate approval from both North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Last week, South Korea's military reported that North Korea is estimated to have incurred 4,000 casualties of the 11,000 troops sent last year, noting that 3,000 additional troops were dispatched to Russia in January and February.
As of April 2025, North Korean forces are thought to have suffered over 5,000 casualties during offensive operations against Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region, as per UK Defense Intelligence. One-third of these casualties were killed in action, with total losses nearing half of the 11,000 North Korean troops originally deployed to the region.
Open-source reports indicate that the DPRK has since sent a limited number of additional troops to fortify its position in Kursk.
The significant casualty rates are likely attributed to large-scale, attritional dismounted assaults.
The UK Defense Intelligence assessment raises concerns about North Korea’s capacity to maintain its military presence in the region under such circumstances.
