Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday that several North Korean soldiers, who were captured by Ukrainian forces, succumbed to their injuries after being seriously wounded.

“Our troops successfully captured them, but their injuries were critical, and they could not be revived,” Zelensky stated during his address.

He did not disclose the exact number of captured soldiers, but these individuals are believed to be the first North Koreans taken as prisoners of war by Ukraine.

Earlier on Friday, South Korea’s intelligence agency reported that one wounded North Korean soldier, captured by Ukraine, had died from his injuries, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

According to U.S. and Ukrainian officials, North Korean forces are thought to have sustained significant casualties while fighting alongside Russian troops in the Kursk region. Ukraine’s rapid incursion into Kursk in August prompted Russia to reallocate troops to address the emerging threat.

Zelensky remarked that the North Korean military is experiencing substantial losses and criticized Russia for deploying them to the front lines with “minimal protection.”

“They are suffering heavy losses. A significant number. It is evident that the Russian military and North Korean commanders show little concern for the well-being of these soldiers,” he noted.

Seoul’s intelligence agency mentioned on Friday that it obtained information regarding the capture through real-time intelligence sharing with allies, although it did not specify which country provided the information.

Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has officially confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia.

Intelligence assessments from the US, Ukraine, and South Korea estimate that the number of North Korean soldiers present in Russia ranges from 11,000 to 12,000. Some of these troops have reportedly participated in combat operations alongside tens of thousands of Russian forces in efforts to reclaim areas in Kursk.

Ukrainian sources suggest that over 3,000 North Korean soldiers have either been killed or injured in Kursk, while a senior US official indicated that North Korea has experienced “several hundred” casualties, both dead and wounded, in the region since October.

According to a South Korean lawmaker, approximately 100 North Korean soldiers are believed to have died and nearly 1,000 have sustained injuries since their deployment to Kursk, as reported by the country’s intelligence agency.

Kyiv officials have accused Russia of attempting to obscure the presence of North Korean soldiers on the battlefield.

Earlier this month, the Ukrainian military reported that documents obtained from three North Korean soldiers killed in Kursk were fraudulent military identification papers featuring Russian names and birthplaces.

President Zelensky has claimed that Russia is trying to hide the casualties among North Korean troops, employing drastic measures to alter the identities of those killed in action.

“Russians are attempting… to literally incinerate the faces of North Korean soldiers who have died in battle,” Zelensky stated in a message on X on December 17, accompanied by a video allegedly showing Russian soldiers burning the bodies of North Korean troops.

Zelensky also warned of the potential for North Korea to send more troops and military supplies to support the Russian army, following a briefing from Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin communicated with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, affirming that the two nations will continue to uphold the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed in June, which encompasses a mutual defense agreement, as reported by both Russian and North Korean state media.