Intelligence estimates in Seoul indicate that North Korea has lost about 2,000 soldiers who fought alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine, according to a South Korean lawmaker yesterday.

Lawmaker Lee Seung-kwon told reporters after a briefing from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service that their estimates in April were that the number of North Korean soldier casualties “during the war was at least 600, but based on updated assessments, it is currently estimated that the toll is about 2,000.”

South Korean and Western intelligence had estimated that North Korea sent about 10,000 soldiers to fight alongside Moscow, especially in the Kursk region where Ukrainian forces advanced.