[Exclusive] N. Korean troops face losses

[Anchor]

KBS has obtained a voice file that gives insight into the current situation of North Korean troops dispatched to Russia.

The file contains North Korean military communications intercepted by Ukrainian forces, indicating difficulties in recovering the bodies of comrades and plans to regroup for another assault at dawn.

Reporter Kim Kyung-jin has the exclusive report.

[Report]

On Dec. 20, KBS obtained a 17-second voice file of North Korean troops from the southwestern Kursk region of Russia, intercepted by Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian officials stated that the conversation is presumed to be between the leaders of a North Korean military unit consisting of around ten members, using military radios.

[Content of Ukrainian forces' interception of North Korean troops: "It seems that it will take more time to continue recovering our comrades' bodies. I will gather the assault team at dawn and go out to retrieve the bodies. This is my decision. What do you think?"]

It appears that they are in a situation where they have suffered significant casualties in daytime open-field combat and must hide and move under the cover of darkness to recover the bodies of their comrades.

[Jung Kyung-woon/Research Fellow, Korea Research Institute for Strategy: "The content of the radio communication indicates that they plan to go back in under the cover of darkness to recover the bodies, which reflects the intense and urgent nature of the combat situation."]

President Zelensky stated on Jan. 5 that as of now, 12,000 North Korean troops have arrived, with 3,800 dead or injured.

Experts analyze that despite the high casualty rate among North Korean troops as Russian forces intensify their operations to reclaim territory in Kursk, support from Russia appears to be lacking.

[Doo Jin-ho/Research Fellow, Korea Institute for Defense Analyses: "This suggests that Russia's continued operational support for North Korean troops, including the handling of North Korean casualties, is not proceeding smoothly."]

Local Ukrainian media have also reported that lower-ranking Russian commanders are falsely reporting the number of North Korean casualties to their superiors.

This is KBS News, Kim Kyung-jin.