Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on China to exert influence on North Korea in response to the deployment of North Korean soldiers alongside Russian troops in the war in Ukraine.
“The Korean nation must not lose its people in the battles in Europe. And this can be influenced, especially by Korea’s neighbors, especially China,” Zelensky said in his evening video address on Friday.
“If China is sincere in its statements that the war should not escalate, it should exert appropriate pressure on Pyongyang,” he added. China is the closest ally of the isolated communist country.
Moscow is using North Korean troops mainly in its efforts to regain the Russian territory of Kursk, which is partly occupied by Ukrainian forces, Zelensky said.
“We can see that the Russian military and North Korean enforcers have no interest in the survival of these Koreans at all,” Zelensky continued.
North Korea has reportedly sent some 10,000 troops to Russia to support Moscow in its fight against Kiev.
Wounded North Korean soldier captured by Ukraine dies
Earlier on Friday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that a captured North Korean soldier had died from injuries sustained during fighting in Russia.
The wounded man was captured by Ukrainian forces in the frontline Kursk region on Thursday and succumbed to his wounds a day later, Yonhap reported, citing South Korea’s intelligence service (NIS).
The NOS in turn cited the “intelligence service of a friendly country”. It was not stated which country this was.
A photo purporting to show the captured soldier circulated on the messaging app Telegram.
After undergoing brief training and being equipped with Russian weapons, North Korean forces were reportedly integrated into Russian forces in the Kursk region, which Ukrainian forces invaded in August.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently stated that more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured, although this estimate cannot be independently verified.
US: North Korean troops suffer heavy losses
The US government has also stated that North Korean troops have been deployed in large numbers to the front lines near Kursk.
On Friday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said these forces are believed to have carried out extensive attacks on Ukrainian positions.
Kirby noted that the “human wave tactic” of unprotected foot strikes has proven highly ineffective, resulting in “heavy casualties for these North Korean forces.”
U.S. estimates indicate that more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured in the past week alone, he said.
In addition, reports indicate that some North Korean soldiers have chosen suicide over surrender, likely driven by fear of reprisals against their families in North Korea if they were captured, Kirby added.