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| ▲ A suspected North Korean soldier reportedly captured by the Ukrainian military is seen in this undated photo captured from Telegram. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) NK soldier-prisoner of war
(LEAD) S. Korea's spy agency confirms Ukraine's capture of injured N. Korean soldier
(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES paras 1-3)
SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's spy agency on Friday confirmed Ukraine's capture of a wounded North Korean soldier following a news report about Ukrainian special operations troops seizing a North Korean fighter in the first reported instance of its kind.
"Through real-time information sharing with a friendly nation's intelligence organization, (we) confirmed the capture of a wounded North Korean soldier and plans to thoroughly examine the subsequent development," the National Intelligence Service said in a brief release.
The confirmation came as Ukraine's military-focused news outlet Militarnyi reported Thursday (local time) that Ukraine's forces captured the soldier during operations in Russia's western front-line region of Kursk, without specifying when the incident occurred.
A photo of the purportedly captured North Korean soldier, who appeared to have sustained injuries, circulated on Telegram. Details of the soldier's condition and status remained unknown.
If confirmed, it would mark the first time Ukraine has captured a North Korean soldier engaged in combat, according to Militarnyi.
Some 11,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia so far, with signs of preparations for further deployment of troops and military equipment, according to South Korean officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week that North Korea has suffered more than 3,000 casualties in the Kursk region.
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