After the nation’s National Intelligence Service briefed parliament, Lee Sung-kwon told reporters that an additional 1,000 people had been hurt.
He claimed that the troops’ unfamiliarity with the environment and drone warfare could account for the deaths, which included high-ranking officials.
Earlier this week, North Korean casualties were first reported. The North had dispatched 10,000 troops to support Russia’s military effort, it was revealed in October.
At a meeting in Pyongyang on November 29, a delegation from the Russian Defense Ministry, headed by Minister Andrey Belousov (fourth on left), sits at a table confronting their North Korean colleagues (right).
In recent months, Russia and North Korea have been deepening their relationship.
