North Korean soldier captured in Ukraine war dies: South Korea’s spy agency

The intelligence report was released shortly after the president of Ukraine stated that almost 3,000 North Korean troops have been either killed or injured during fighting.

According to South Korea's intelligence agency, a North Korean soldier who was fighting alongside Russia has succumbed to serious injuries while being held captive in Ukraine.

On Friday, the National Intelligence Service in Seoul revealed some news shortly after the Yonhap news agency reported that Ukrainian forces had, for the first time, taken a North Korean soldier prisoner. According to this report, the soldier is alive, but the exact place of his capture remains unclear.

Pyongyang has sent thousands of soldiers to support Russia's military efforts, especially in the Kursk border area, which experienced a sudden Ukrainian invasion in August.

The announcement of the soldier's death was made a few days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that nearly 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been "killed or injured" in their involvement with Russian forces in battle.

This was the first major estimation from Ukraine regarding the number of North Korean soldiers affected, coming weeks after Kyiv reported that North Korea had dispatched between 10,000 and 12,000 troops to Russia to assist in the nearly three-year-long conflict.

Ukraine's military intelligence, referred to as GUR, reported that Ukrainian attacks near Novoivanovka in Kursk have resulted in significant losses for North Korean forces, along with logistical challenges and even a lack of drinking water.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the military relationship between North Korea and Russia has grown stronger.

A significant defense agreement between Pyongyang and Moscow, which was signed in June, became effective this month. Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to it as a "historic document."

Ukraine's supporters have described North Korea's increasing participation in Russia's war against Ukraine as a "perilous escalation" of the situation.

Last week, South Korean politician Lee Seong-kweun stated that the soldiers in Pyongyang are being used as disposable front-line attack forces.

Al Jazeera and various news organizations