South Korea's spy agency says that North Korean forces have suffered more than 3,000 casualties while fighting alongside Russian troops.

North Korean soldiers previously fighting alongside Russia's army on the Kursk front line appear not to have been engaged in combat since mid-January, South Korea's spy agency told AFP on Tuesday, after Ukraine claimed they had been withdrawn following heavy losses.

North Korean troops have not been seen on the frontlines in Russia’s Kursk region for several weeks, a Ukrainian military official said Friday, amid reports of mass casualties among Pyongyang’s forces.

North Korean troops supporting Russia in fighting against Ukrainian forces have been removed from battle after being severely weakened from suffering a large number of casualties, officials say.

The alleged 10,000 North Koreans fighting for Russia are thought to have taken heavy losses. Read more at straitstimes.com.

A US media outlet says North Korean soldiers have not been spotted recently on the front lines of fighting between Ukraine and Russia.

North Korean troops, largely special ops forces, have suffered high casualties in bloody assaults not unlike other units, including prison units.

The number of North Koreas entering Russia in 2024 surged nearly 12 times from the previous year to top 13,000, according to recent data, possibly reflecting a surge in laborers dispatched overseas to earn foreign currency for the Kim Jong-un regime.