North Korean troops now fighting for Russia in Ukraine, Seoul says

North Korea is now sending troops to fight and die in Ukraine alongside Russian soldiers, according to Seoul’s defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun.

Kim told South Korean politicians on Tuesday it was "highly likely" six North Korean officers were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on Donetsk last week. 

"We assess that the occurrence of casualties among North Korean officers and soldiers in Ukraine is highly likely, considering various circumstances," Kim said, adding that they expect Pyongyang to send more soldiers to Russia in the near future. 

"The relations between Russia and North Korea are evolving to be almost as close as a military alliance," he said. "As such, more North Korean troops could be deployed in the war, from how we look at it."

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The defense chief corroborated Ukrainian reports that North Koreans were now directly involved in the war. 

Russia and North Korea have deepened relations since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The two nuclear-armed states signed a defense pact in June when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea.

Both Russia and Ukraine have resorted to foreign fighters as their numbers of draft-age men dwindle. 

South Korea claims that Pyongyang has become a major supplier of weapons for Russia in the war. 

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North Korea has recently ramped up production and testing of artillery and cruise missiles. In March, Russia used its veto power at the United Nations to end monitoring for violations of a ban on North Korea testing ballistic technology.

A Ukrainian drone struck a key arms depot inside Russia around 70 miles from the border, where weapons gifted by North Korea were stored, the Ukrainian military said Wednesday. 

Hugely powerful glide bombs that have terrorized civilian areas of Ukraine and bludgeoned Ukrainian army defenses were also kept at the arsenal, located 115 kilometers (70 miles) from the Ukrainian border, and some of the ammunition was stored in the open, Ukraine said.

Iran, too, has been shipping missiles to Russia in recent months, according to U.S. defense officials. Russian soldiers have been training in Iran on the Fath-360 close-range ballistic missile system, which has a maximum range of 75 miles.

On Friday, Putin will meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. 

On Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wished his "closest comrade," Putin, a happy birthday, and claimed the two nations' military alliance would make them "invincible."

Kim said Putin would lead "great Russia on the road to victory."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.