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The original was posted on /r/ukrainewarvideoreport by /u/Khabooem on 2024-10-21 21:15:18+00:00.

Chinese mercenary has shared details about North Korean soldiers allegedly killed shortly after they joined Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

The information was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the account @whyyoutouzhele on Sunday, in a conversation between a gun-for-hire fighting alongside Russian forces, who goes by the handle “Dian Yuzhang,” and a mercenary who has returned to China and goes by the name Li Dafu.

These claims emerged just days after South Korea’s National Intelligence Service confirmed that North Korean troops had been training in Russia before being sent to bolster Russia’s diminished forces and help contain Ukraine’s counteroffensive in Russia’s Kursk region.

During the broadcast, Dian Yuzhang told host Li Dafu that North Korean soldiers had already experienced losses. “After just one day, eight people have died—senior officers,” Yuzhang said, laughing, as the two discussed recent events on the front lines.

According to South Korean intelligence, as many as 12,000 North Korean troops would be sent over, with Ukrainian intelligence saying many are already training in eastern Russia.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry and the North Korean embassy in Beijing via email for comment.

Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute, said that by committing troops to the conflict, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hopes to ingratiate himself with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin further while projecting a stronger international image.

“Kim Jong Un seeks more advanced defense technology and wants to obligate Putin to come to his defense to be able to threaten others without much fear of attack,” he told Newsweek.

“He is also eager to put some of his troops into combat. Even though many will come home in body bags if returned at all, Kim will be able to boast that he has the only battle-ready troops on the peninsula,” Cronin added.