A North Korean soldier who was captured while fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine has died of his wounds, South Korea's spy agency said Friday. Pyongyang has deployed thousands of troops to reinforce Russia's military, including in the Kursk border region where Ukraine mounted a shock border incursion in August.

The confirmation followed a report from Ukraine's military-focused news outlet Militarnyi on Dec. 26, which first revealed the capture without specifying the date of the incident.

More than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in Russia’s war with Ukraine, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said yesterday. The new figure follows a report by Seoul’s spy agency to lawmakers last week, which said at least 100 North Korean soldiers had been killed since entering combat this month.

The first confirmation of the capture of a North Korean soldier came days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec 23 that nearly 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been “killed or wounded” so far. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) also said on Dec 23 that more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded.

Pyongyang has deployed thousands of soldiers to reinforce Russian troops, including in the Kursk border region.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that about 3,800 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in the war against Ukraine. Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with American podcaster Lex Fridman Quote: "North Korea.

Zelensky says North Korea suffers losses as ‘last resort counteroffensive’ begins - Ukrainian and Western sources estimate about 11,000 North Korean troops are stationed in Kursk