ANKARA

At least 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in the Russia-Ukraine war, South Korea’s intelligence agency said Wednesday.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) shared the assessment during a closed-door briefing with the National Assembly’s intelligence committee, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

The NIS told lawmakers that Pyongyang has likely suffered over 4,700 casualties overall, including the 600 confirmed fatalities, since its forces began participating in the conflict.

On Monday, North Korea publicly confirmed for the first time that it had deployed troops to Russia under the terms of a mutual defense treaty signed with Moscow. The NIS estimates that 15,000 North Korean troops were deployed in two phases, though hostilities involving these forces have reportedly declined since April following Russia’s gains in the Kursk region.

While the spy agency has not identified any new troop movements from North Korea, it said it could not rule out future deployments.

Pyongyang and Moscow last year signed a comprehensive strategic partnership pledging mutual military support in the event of an attack by a third party.

In a statement earlier this week, Moscow said it would consider providing military assistance to North Korea under the terms of the deal.