The White House national security spokesperson told reporters on Friday, December 28th, that the North Korean military suffered heavy casualties on the front lines of the war in Ukraine, with over a thousand deaths and injuries just last week.
John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, detailed the situation in the Kursk region of Russia during the interview, stating that the North Korean military has suffered significantly on the Ukraine-Russia war front.
“Based on our assessment, they (Ukraine) have inflicted significant casualties on the North Korean military,” he added. The reported 1,000 casualties in the Kursk region of Russia occurred in just one week.
This number far exceeds the data previously provided by the U.S. side.
Kirby pointed out, “It is clear that the military leaders of Russia and North Korea see these troops as expendable pawns, ordering them to launch futile attacks on the Ukrainian defenses.” He described the offensive launched by North Korean forces there as a “massive infantry attack.”
The North Korean delegation to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters, while the Russian UN delegation declined to comment.
Kirby also noted that there were reports of North Korean soldiers choosing suicide over surrendering to the Ukrainian forces. He said, “This may be because they fear that if captured, their families in North Korea will face retaliation from the (Kim Jong Un regime).”
Kirby confirmed that President Joe Biden will announce another security assistance plan for Ukraine in the “coming days,” including air defense systems, to support Ukraine in repelling the attacks of the Russian and North Korean forces.
Earlier this week, Biden condemned Russia for launching attacks on Ukrainian energy systems and cities on Christmas and called on the Department of Defense to continue sending weapons to Ukraine.
“We remain firmly committed to ensuring that Ukraine has the resources it needs for self-defense,” said Kirby.
According to Reuters, on December 17th, a U.S. military official stated that North Korean soldiers fighting with Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of Russia had suffered hundreds of casualties.
When asked about the ranks of the North Korean casualties, the anonymous military official said they ranged from lower-level units to those “very close to senior ranks.”
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that over 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed or injured in the Kursk region of Russia. He said he was citing preliminary data.
Epoch Times was unable to independently verify the reports of war losses.