North Korea Suffered 4,700 Casualties in Ukraine According to South Korean Intelligence

What Happened?

A recently released report from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service estimated that North Korea has suffered 4,700 casualties in Ukraine, including six hundred killed in action. South Korean intelligence officials provided a closed door briefing to that county’s lawmakers this week, and the details about North Korea were disclosed to the public.

According to Lee Seong Keun, a South Korean lawmaker who attended the intelligence briefing, 2,000 injured North Korean soldiers were repatriated to North Korea by air or train between January and March. He cited the National Intelligence Service as saying the dead North Korean soldiers were cremated in Russia before their remains were sent back home.

Why it Matters

North Korea has been sending troops and military supplies to Russia as part of the landmark defense treaty between the two neighbors. The treaty between North Korea and Russia stipulates that each will come to the defense of the other if they are attacked. 

In addition to ground troops, North Korea has been sending thousands of rounds of ammunition to Russian forces engaged in battle against Ukrainians, including artillery rounds and magazines for small arms. The supplies and troops are being moved to the edge of Ukraine via railways which originate in North Korea and then continue for thousands of miles through eastern Russia.

Suffering large numbers of casualties from active combat is something new for the current North Korean regime, and how that will affect the reclusive nation remains to be seen. With thousands of wounded returning home to North Korea and hundreds more of the dead never coming back, the potential for that to have an unexpected impact on the North Korean population is there. The losses could stir up popular anger against the current regime in North Korea. 

North Korea is a nation where the military and military service play critical roles in keeping the current regime in power and in the daily lives of citizens. How will seeing maimed soldiers returning home affect both the current North Korean military members and young people? Will seeing first-hand horrific battlefield injuries puncture the myth of invincibility promogulated by the North Korean regime? Only time will tell how North Koreans react to the casualties, which may even be hidden from them by the government. 

If North Korea tries to hide wounded soldiers from the public, that would also be risky because if word got out that could also lead to popular anger against the regime.

How it Affects You

The treaty between North Korea and Russia creates a new danger for the war in Ukraine. If the war in Ukraine were to trigger a conflict with NATO, the danger would be that a NATO attack on Russia could lead to North Korean retaliation in the Pacific, which would essentially usher in a new world war.