North Korean soldiers used as drone 'bait' in Ukraine

Hundreds of North Korean troops have been killed fighting against Ukraine over the last few months, according to South Korea's intelligence agency. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea said 300 of Pyongyang's troops have been killed and another 2,700 wounded since joining Vladimir Putin's forces last year.

- ALEXANDER BUTLER

The agency assessed that the North Koreans are struggling to adapt to drones and other elements of modern warfare. They are further disadvantaged by the crude tactics of their Russian commanders, who have thrown them into assault campaigns without providing rear-fire support, according to Lee Seong Kweun, an MP who attended the agency's closed-door briefing.

"The current battlefield environment, combined with drones and other technologies, have created situations North Korean soldiers have never encountered before," Moon Seong Mook, a retired South Korean brigadier general, said. "They are also being deployed in large numbers in wide-open fields, where there is no place to hide, in continuous battles to retake the area, and that seems to be where the casualties are coming from."

The intelligence agency said memos found on dead North Korean soldiers indicated that they had been ordered to commit suicide before being captured, according to Mr Lee. The agency said one North Korean soldier, facing the threat of being captured by Ukrainian forces, shouted "General Kim Jong Un" and tried to detonate a hand grenade before he was shot and killed.