SEOUL, Jan 13, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Around 300 North Korean soldiers have been 
killed and 2,700 injured while fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine, a 
South Korean lawmaker said Monday, citing information from Seoul's spy 
agency.

Seoul has previously claimed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent more 
than 10,000 soldiers as "cannon fodder" to help Moscow fight Kyiv, in return 
for Russian technical assistance for Pyongyang's heavily sanctioned weapons 
and satellite programmes.

Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had 
captured two North Korean soldiers, releasing video of the injured combatants 
being interrogated and raising the possibility of a prisoner swap for 
captured Ukrainian troops.

"The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia has reportedly expanded to 
include the Kursk region, with estimates suggesting that casualties among 
North Korean forces have surpassed 3,000," lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told 
reporters after a briefing from the spy agency.

This includes "approximately 300 deaths and 2,700 injuries," Lee said, after 
a briefing from Seoul's National Intelligence Service.

The soldiers, reportedly from North Korea's elite Storm Corps, have been 
ordered to kill themselves rather than be taken prisoner, Lee said.

"Notably, memos found on deceased soldiers indicate that the North Korean 
authorities pressured them to commit suicide or self-detonate before 
capture," he said.

He added that some of the soldiers had been granted "amnesty" or wanted to 
join the Workers' Party of North Korea, hoping to improve their lot by 
fighting.

One North Korean soldier who was about to be captured shouted "General Kim 
Jong Un" and attempted to detonate a grenade, Lee said, adding that he was 
shot and killed.

The NIS analysis also revealed that the North Korean soldiers have "a lack of 
understanding of modern warfare," and are being used by Russia in a manner 
leading to "the high number of casualties," the lawmaker said.

- Soldiers captured -

In a post on social media platform X Sunday, Zelensky said: "Ukraine is ready 
to hand over Kim Jong Un's soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange 
for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia."

There would "undoubtedly be more" North Korean soldiers captured by Kyiv, he 
added.

"For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be 
other options available," said Zelensky.

Ukraine, the United States and South Korea have accused nuclear-armed North 
Korea of sending more than 10,000 soldiers to help bolster Russian forces.

Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has acknowledged that North Koreans have been 
deployed to fight against Ukraine.

The two countries have boosted their military cooperation since Russia 
launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The video posted by Zelensky of the interrogation of the two North Korean 
prisoners of war shows one lying in a bunk bed and the other sitting up with 
a bandage around his jaw.

One man can be heard speaking to a Ukrainian official through an interpreter, 
saying that he did not know he was going to fight in a war with Ukraine and 
that his commanders "told him it was just training".

In translated comments, one of the men says he wants to return to North 
Korea.

The other says he will do what he is told but, if given the chance, wants to 
live in Ukraine.