North Korean soldiers suffer heavy casualties in first clash with Ukrainian army: NYT

The first clashes between the North Korean military, which is fighting on the side of Russia, and Ukrainian forces resulted in heavy losses among DPRK soldiers, The New York Times reports, citing information from American and Ukrainian official sources.
As noted, the battle took place in the Kursk region, part of which is currently controlled by the Ukrainian army after a summer offensive. According to Ukrainian sources, the North Korean military acted together with the 810th Separate Brigade of the Russian Marines. The Ukrainian representative added that the battle was not large-scale and was likely intended to identify weaknesses in the defence of Ukrainian forces.
Although the exact time of the battle was not disclosed, according to US sources, a significant number of North Korean soldiers were killed.
Despite the significant losses, Russia, according to the newspaper, plans to continue using the North Korean military in combat operations. According to Western experts, Russia could have attracted up to 10,000 North Korean soldiers to support its forces.
In his evening address on 5 November, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed the importance of this new threat and called on international partners to increase their support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy noted that the outbreak of hostilities involving the North Korean military opens a new stage of global instability.
The DPRK’s involvement in the conflict on the side of Russia is also a cause for concern in the West because of the increased cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, which could pose a greater threat to neighbouring countries and the United States.