First Capture of North Korean Soldier in Russia-Ukraine Conflict Verified by South Korea

South Korea's intelligence confirmed Ukraine's capture of a North Korean soldier in Russia, highlighting secret foreign involvement. Ukrainian forces reportedly seized documents showing North Korean soldiers using fake Russian identities, amid escalating tensions with evidence of their presence in Russia's Kursk region.

In a groundbreaking revelation, South Korea's National Intelligence Service confirmed that Ukrainian special forces have captured a wounded North Korean soldier in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Yonhap News Agency reported that this marks the first instance of such involvement from North Korean forces in the contentious region. The confirmation by South Korea came after Ukraine's military-focused news outlet, Militarnyi, detailed that forces apprehended the soldier in Russia's western front-line of Kursk.

Reports corroborate this, with Ukrainian military sources suggesting that these soldiers possess fake Russian military documentation. A CNN report shed light on Ukrainian special forces' claims that North Koreans fighting in Russia are equipped with counterfeit IDs, seemingly to obscure their foreign identities. It's been further indicated by Ukrainian sources that Russia is attempting to veil the involvement of these non-Russian fighters, despite evidence of North Korean presence amongst the troops, engaging in strategic combat operations.

The United States, alongside Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence, estimates the number of North Korean soldiers currently involved in Russia between 11,000 to 12,000. These soldiers, reportedly, have partaken in operations aimed at reclaiming sections of Kursk controlled by Ukrainian forces since August.

Highlighting the severity of incidents, Ukraine's special forces announced that fifty North Korean soldiers were recently killed and forty-seven others injured in combat. Compounding the contentious issue, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has alleged that Russian forces have attempted to destroy the remains of these North Korean soldiers to eliminate evidence of their presence.

(With inputs from agencies.)