The recent clashes in the Kursk Oblast of western Russia have shed light on the involvement of North Korean troops fighting alongside the Russian military, and the potentially heavy price they are paying for their participation. Reports from various sources, including Ukrainian journalists and government officials, suggest that a substantial portion of a North Korean corps may have been casualties of a single, intense battle near the village of Plekhove. This engagement, which saw North Korean infantry attempting to dislodge Ukrainian forces from the village, reportedly resulted in significant losses for the attacking side. While the exact figures remain subject to verification, the available information paints a grim picture of the battlefield realities faced by these North Korean soldiers.
The reported North Korean assault on Plekhove unfolded in a series of three waves, involving potentially over 500 soldiers from the 92nd and 94th Separate Special Operations Brigades. The attack strategy, described as involving massed infantry advances across open terrain in broad daylight, appears to have exposed the North Korean troops to devastating fire from Ukrainian drones and artillery. Accounts from Ukrainian defenders portray a scene of North Korean soldiers advancing “en masse,” or in a “crowd,” suggesting a lack of tactical sophistication that likely contributed to the high casualty count. While the North Koreans eventually succeeded in capturing the village, the victory appears to have come at a steep cost, with estimates of their losses ranging up to half of the participating force.
The aftermath of the Plekhove assault reportedly involved trucks transporting a large number of dead and wounded North Korean soldiers away from the battlefield, raising questions about the sustainability of such losses for the approximately 12,000-strong North Korean 11th Army Corps deployed in the region. If the reported casualty figures are accurate, the Plekhove engagement alone may have depleted the corps by as much as 4% of its total strength in a single weekend. This raises concerns about the long-term viability of the North Korean deployment and the potential impact on Pyongyang’s military capabilities.
While the North Koreans achieved a tactical victory at Plekhove, their efforts on the opposite side of the Kursk salient appear to have been less successful. The Ukrainian 17th Heavy Mechanized Brigade, defending the western edge of the salient, claimed to have inflicted significant losses on the enemy, potentially including North Korean troops, without ceding much ground. This suggests a varying degree of success for the North Korean forces in the region and highlights the challenges they face in confronting the Ukrainian defenses.
The apparent reliance on mass infantry assaults by North Korean troops is seen by some analysts as a deliberate strategy on the part of Russian commanders, who appear to be prioritizing numerical superiority over tactical finesse. This approach, which leverages the manpower resources of the North Korean contingent, raises ethical questions about the potential exploitation of these soldiers and their apparent disregard for casualties. The long-term effectiveness of such a strategy remains uncertain, particularly given the demonstrated vulnerability of massed infantry formations to modern weaponry and the potentially demoralizing effect of heavy losses on troop morale.
The involvement of North Korean troops in the Ukraine conflict marks their first major military engagement in decades, and the early reports suggest a challenging and costly experience for Pyongyang’s forces. The reported high casualty rates, particularly in the Plekhove assault, raise serious questions about the sustainability of their deployment and the overall strategic implications for North Korea. Whether the North Korean 11th Army Corps can withstand the attrition of sustained combat remains to be seen, but the initial indications suggest a difficult and potentially devastating campaign for these soldiers far from home. The situation underscores the complexities of the Ukraine conflict and the diverse array of actors now involved in this ongoing and evolving geopolitical struggle.
