North Korean soldier fighting for Russia captured in Ukraine: South Korea

A North Korean soldier deployed to support Russia in its war against Ukraine was captured by Ukrainian forces, South Korea confirmed Friday.

"Through real-time information sharing with an allied country's intelligence agency, it has been confirmed that one injured North Korean soldier has been captured," South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a statement.

This marks the first official confirmation of a North Korean combatant's capture in the conflict.

The announcement follows a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this week that nearly 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been "killed or wounded" during the war.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday that more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers had been casualties and that Pyongyang is preparing for the "rotation or additional deployment of soldiers."

North Korea is also supplying Russia with advanced weaponry, including 240mm rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled artillery.

Seoul's military believes that North Korea is leveraging the war to modernize its conventional military capabilities through battlefield experience.

Meanwhile, North Korean state media highlighted strengthening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, with Russian President Vladimir Putin lauding their defense pact as a "breakthrough document" and noting improved bilateral relations following talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June.