Claims underline risks posed to North’s untested armed forces amid reports regime could send reinforcements

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More than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded since they were sent to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, according to South Korean military officials.

In a statement released on Monday, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said: “We assess that North Korean troops, who have recently engaged in combat with Ukrainian forces, have suffered around 1,100 casualties.”