They are done, the army will "dry up": Three more months? PHOTO

Analysts at the Washington-based think tank cited casualty reports from Ukraine and South Korea, as well as Russian military bloggers who claimed North Korean soldiers were actively engaged in significant fighting in December.

"North Korean soldiers have likely suffered about 92 casualties per day since they began engaging in significant combat in early December 2024," the new report said, Business Insider reported.

The institute stated that "the entire North Korean contingent in the Kursk region of western Russia could be killed or wounded in approximately 12 weeks (by mid-April 2025) if North Korean forces continue to suffer such high casualty rates."

Analysts added that Pyongyang's losses are likely to include more soldiers wounded than killed, which they say is "typical of armed conflicts."

"It is unclear if and when injured North Korean soldiers will re-enter combat," the analysis stated.

South Korean lawmaker Lee Sung Kwon said Monday that Seoul's intelligence service estimated that about 300 North Korean soldiers were killed in Kursk, while another 2,700 were wounded.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in early January that North Korea's losses in Kursk had reached up to 3,800 wounded or killed.

"12,000 soldiers came. Today there are 3,800 wounded or killed," Zelensky told Lex Friedman's podcast.

The United States also gave its estimate of North Korean losses in December, saying Pyongyang likely suffered 1,000 wounded or killed in the first week of significant fighting.

"We will assess that North Korean forces are conducting massive, infantry attacks against Ukrainian positions in Kursk," John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said on December 27.

Western and South Korean intelligence officials have said the roughly 12,000 North Korean troops deployed in Kursk are likely from the Storm Corps special unit.

This elite branch of the military is considered North Korea's version of special forces, and estimates of their total numbers vary. One of the highest estimates, from 2022, by the South Korean military, puts the Storm Corps at up to 200,000 soldiers.

Questions remain about whether Kim Jong Un might send more troops to help Russia if frontline manpower dries up. Volume has been key for both sides - both Ukraine and Russia - from soldiers to artillery and ammunition as the war looks set to enter its fourth year.

North Korea has an estimated 1.2 million soldiers in its armed forces, although they have almost no combat experience. Pyongyang is known for often using its troops for infrastructure projects.

However, in early January, Zelensky warned about the possibility of North Korea sending up to half a million soldiers to help Russia. But Pyongyang doesn't send its troops for free - Kim gets food, technological expertise and economic aid from Russia in return.

Ukraine and South Korea reported in November that Russia was also paying Kim a fee for each North Korean soldier deployed in Kursk. Intelligence sources from Seoul then stated that the price was about $2,000 per person.