Britain's defense ministry said about 1,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed and about 3,000 more had been wounded fighting against Ukraine.

The new premier of North Korea has been sworn in during a two-day parliamentary meeting in Pyongyang. State media on Friday broadcast footage of Pak Thae Song addressing parliament during the key session.

North Korean troops' limited combat experience and unfamiliarity with the terrain of the Russian-Ukrainian battlefields have contributed to heavy losses.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff also assessed in a report Friday that North Korea is continuing its preparations to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Budanov said North Korea has sent 120 self-propelled howitzers and 120 MLRS to Russia, and is likely to send the same number again.

South Korea's military said on Friday that it suspects North Korea is preparing to send more troops to Russia to fight Ukrainian forces, even after suffering losses and seeing some of its soldiers captured.

Ukraine said it retrieved a diary from a North Korean soldier that contains a confession of stealing from his Russian comrade and battle tactics.

North Korea may be accelerating plans to send more troops to replace frontline casualties incurred fighting Ukraine on behalf of Russia.

The US has announced charges against five individuals involved in a fake IT workers scheme to funnel funds to North Korea.

Trump’s acknowledgment of North Korea as a “nuclear power” risks granting legitimacy to Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal. For decades North Korea has sought international recognition as a legitimate nuclear state despite facing and sanctions diplomatic isolation aimed at curbing its nuclear ambitions.

According to South Korean intelligence reports, North Korea is looking to send more troops to fight for Russia in Ukraine.