At least 100 North Korean troops have been killed fighting in Ukraine, South Korea’s spy agency said.

Another 1,000 have been injured in the ongoing fight in Russia’s Kursk region, after being deployed by Moscow, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) also claimed

The heavy losses were caused by North Korean soldiers’ lack of experience in drone warfare and their unfamiliarity with open terrain, Lee Seong-kweun, a South Korean lawmaker, told journalists after attending a closed-door briefing held by the NIS.

Some North Korean generals might be among the casualties and the Russian military has allegedly described North Korean soldiers as “burdens” on the battlefield due to their ignorance of drones, Mr Lee said.

According to the US and South Korea, North Korea has deployed more than 10,000 troops to help Russia fight the war against Ukraine, with Pyongyang also reportedly shipping more than 10,000 containers of artillery rounds, anti-tank rockets, mechanised howitzers and rocket launchers to Russia.

Despite the heavy losses, Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, is reportedly planning an inspection of the country’s special operations force, which could be dispatched to Ukraine.