▲ This Dec. 16, 2024, screenshot shows a photo from the Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda of what it described to be Russian and North Korean soldiers killed in combat. It has been partially blurred. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

spy agency-NK troops

NIS sees N. Korean troops' casualties in combat against Ukraine as likely true

SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's spy agency said Tuesday it is verifying intelligence about North Korean troops' fatalities during combat alongside Russian forces against Ukraine, saying it is taking into account the possibility that it could be true.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the assessment as the United States said Monday that North Korean troops suffered some "significant losses" during combat alongside Russian forces against Ukraine, marking its first confirmation of North Korean casualties during the war.

"(We've) secured related intelligence from various sources," the NIS said. "We are verifying it while taking into account the possibility that it could be true."

Ukraine's intelligence authorities have said that some 200 Russian and North Korean soldiers were estimated to have been killed while fighting in combined units against Ukrainian forces.

North Korea has sent thousands of troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine, spawning concerns about an escalation of the already protracted conflict.

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