“Time travelers” on the front line: The grim toll of North Korea’s deployment in Kursk
According to estimates by South Korean intelligence, the total losses of the 15,000-strong North Korean contingent reached around 4,700 troops, including 600 killed. Western estimates from January 2025 reported that, out of an 11,000-strong force, at least 1,500 had been killed and another 3,500 were wounded or missing — losses exceeding 20% of the unit’s total strength.