Drone warfare has proven deadly for North Korea where at least 100 of its troops deployed to Russia have been killed and another 1,000 injured while fighting Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, a South Korean lawmaker said on Thursday. Reuters reports, North Korea reportedly could not keep up with the drone warfare due to a lack of experience with the technology and their unfamiliarity with the terrain, according to Lee Seong-kweun, a member of parliament.
The news follows reports from November that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered a mass production of self-detonating drones in the communist country. The weapons have been widely used in the war between Ukraine and Russia as well as in the Middle East. Kim Jong Un announced the desire for speedy development as military cooperation between Russia and North Korea picked up.
North Korea has reportedly sent thousands of troops to Russia to support them in their war against Ukraine, but North Korea has only proven to be a burden for Russia, according to the Daily Mail, due to North Korea’s “outdated battlefield tactics.”
The Khorne Group – an organisation linked to Kyiv forces in the 116th separate mechanised brigade and 95th air assault brigade, showed footage of the North Korean soldiers appearing “dumbfounded” by a Ukrainian drone above them, the Daily Mail reports. The group called out North Korea for using the “same tactics as 70 years ago,” referring to the Korean War.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service predicted that “‘Russia might offer reciprocal benefits’ for a new deployment, according to Lee, which could include “‘’modernising North Korea’s conventional weaponry.’” Experts say North Korea is eager to acquire advanced technology from Russia and gain experience on the battlefield for its troops.
Ukraine accused Russia of trying to hide the “significant” losses by burning the faces of the dead North Korean troops to conceal their faces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also claimed that Russia was trying to keep the presence of North Korean soldiers “a secret,” while calling for the “madness” to stop and sending the message that “there is no reason for Koreans to fight and die for Putin.”
