A North Korean soldier who was captured while fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine has died of his wounds, South Korea's spy agency said Friday. Pyongyang has deployed thousands of troops to reinforce Russia's military, including in the Kursk border region where Ukraine mounted a shock border incursion in August.

Following talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul in Seoul, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that Russia is prepared to supply North Korea (DPRK) with advanced space and satellite technologies in return for weapons and equipment to aid its war efforts in Ukraine.

North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Monday, South Korea's military said, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Seoul amid a political crisis in the country.

The first confirmation of the capture of a North Korean soldier came days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec 23 that nearly 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been “killed or wounded” so far. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) also said on Dec 23 that more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded.

North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006, and the measures have been steadily strengthened over the years with the aim of halting Pyongyang's development of nuclear we

North Korea is gaining crucial military experience and equipment by sending troops to Russia, a U.S. official warned the United Nations, making the regime a growing threat to neighboring countries.

The United States slammed North Korea for fresh missile testing and accuses that Pyongyang is gaining war experience from the Ukraine conflict. North Korea rejected U.S’ allegations saying these are ‘unsubstantiated’.

The United States warned on Wednesday (Jan 8) that North Korea is "significantly benefiting" from its troops fighting alongside Russia against Ukraine, gaining experience that makes Pyongyang "more capable of waging war against its neighbors.