South Korea's military suspects North Korea is preparing to send more troops to Russia to fight Ukrainian forces, following reports of heavy casualties among North Korean soldiers due to a lack of modern combat training.

Hyunseung Lee, a former soldier who fled North Korea, told BI that those sent to fight against Ukraine have "zero relationship with modern warfare."

A staggering 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed in just three months of fighting in Russia's Kursk region as part of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Why is North Korea sending troops to support Putin’s war effort,