South Korea's spy agency said on Friday (December 27, 2024) it had confirmed that a North Korean soldier sent to Russia's war against Ukraine had been captured by Ukrainian forces.
Pyongyang has deployed thousands of troops to reinforce Russian troops, including in the Kursk border region where Ukraine mounted a shock border incursion in August.
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"Through real-time information sharing with an allied country's intelligence agency, it has been confirmed that one injured North Korean soldier has been captured," South Korea's National Intelligence Service said in a statement.
The soldier was captured by the Ukrainian army, an intelligence source told AFP, adding that the location where he was seized was unknown. 
The first confirmation of the capture of a North Korean soldier came days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that nearly 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been "killed or wounded" so far.
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Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) also said Monday that more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded.
The JCS had also said that Pyongyang is reportedly "preparing for the rotation or additional deployment of soldiers" and supplying "240mm rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled artillery" to the Russian army.
Seoul's military believes that North Korea was seeking to modernise its conventional warfare capabilities through combat experience gained in the Russia-Ukraine war.
North Korean state media said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a New Year's message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying "the bilateral ties between our two countries have been elevated after our talks in June in Pyongyang".
A landmark defence pact went into effect in December after the two sides exchanged ratification documents. 
Putin hailed the deal in June as a "breakthrough document".
Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION&nbsp;audience.

Ukraine war updates: Reports say that a North Korean soldier fighting for Russia has been captured by Ukraine, in the first such incident. North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to reinforce Russian troops, including in the Kursk border region where Ukraine mounted a shock border incursion in August.

South Korea's spy agency said on Friday (December 27, 2024) it had confirmed that a North Korean soldier sent to Russia's war against Ukraine had been captured by Ukrainian forces. Pyongyang has deployed thousands of troops to reinforce Russian troops, including in the Kursk border region where Ukraine mounted a shock border incursion in August. Also read: South Korea's suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol faces impeachment hearing over martial law crisis "Through real-time information sharing with an allied country's intelligence agency, it has been confirmed that one injured North Korean soldier has been captured," South Korea's National Intelligence Service said in a statement. The soldier was captured by the Ukrainian army, an intelligence source told AFP, adding that the location where he was seized was unknown. The first confirmation of the capture of a North Korean soldier came days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that nearly 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been "killed or wounded" so far. Also read: Russia’s anti-aircraft system shot down Azerbaijani jet over ‘mistaken identity’, US claims Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) also said Monday that more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded. The JCS had also said that Pyongyang is reportedly "preparing for the rotation or additional deployment of soldiers" and supplying "240mm rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled artillery" to the Russian army. Seoul's military believes that North Korea was seeking to modernise its conventional warfare capabilities through combat experience gained in the Russia-Ukraine war. North Korean state media said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a New Year's message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying "the bilateral ties between our two countries have been elevated after our talks in June in Pyongyang". A landmark defence pact went into effect in December after the two sides exchanged ratification documents. Putin hailed the deal in June as a "breakthrough document". Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Injured North Korean soldier fighting for Russia captured by Ukrainian forces: Report

South Korea's defence ministry said on Tuesday (Oct 8) that North Korean soldiers were likely fighting in Ukraine alongside Russian troops, with some already believed to be killed and more expected to be deployed.

South Korea's defence ministry said on Tuesday (Oct 8) that North Korean soldiers were likely fighting in Ukraine alongside Russian troops, with some already believed to be killed and more expected to be deployed. Both Russia and Ukraine have foreign fighters in their militaries. Citing Ukrainian media, a report by the news agency AFP said that six officers of the North Korean military were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk on October 3. 'Pyongyang expected to send more foot soldiers' South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun told lawmakers on Tuesday it was highly likely that the claims made by the Ukrainian media were true. "We assess that the occurrence of casualties among North Korean officers and soldiers in Ukraine is highly likely, considering various circumstances," Defence Minister Kim said. Also read | Did Russia use 'father of all bombs', the ODAB-9000 vacuum bomb, on Ukraine? He added that Pyongyang was expected to send more foot soldiers to support Russia's war effort. North Korea's involvement in Ukraine war Since the war between Russia and Ukraine began in late February 2022, experts have long said that North Korea has supplied missiles to Russian forces- something both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied. Meanwhile, South Korea claimed that North Korea sent thousands of containers of weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin made a rare visit to Pyongyang in June, where he signed a mutual defence agreement with leader Kim Jong Un. Analysts have warned that the recent ramped-up testing and production of artillery and cruise missiles by the North could be in preparation for shipments to Russia. 'The next logical step' Experts pointed out that moving from supplying shells to soldiers in Russia was the next logical step (for North Korea). Also watch | Gravitas: Russia's military might continues to grow × Speaking to AFP, Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said, "For North Korea, which has supplied Russia with many shells and missiles, it's crucial to learn how to handle different weapons and gain real-world combat experience." "This might even be a driving factor behind sending North Korean soldiers —- to provide them with diverse experiences and war-time training," Lim added. (With inputs from agencies)

Ukraine war: North Korean soldiers likely fighting alongside Russian troops, says Seoul

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Injured North Korean soldier fighting for Russia captured by Ukrainian forces: Report

Ukraine war: North Korean soldiers likely fighting alongside Russian troops, says Seoul