SEOUL -- A former sergeant in the North Korean military says that few of Pyongyang's soldiers have been captured fighting against Ukraine because they're told their families will be executed if they are caught alive.

North Korea recently sent some 3,500 additional soldiers to Russia's Far East for field training, a South Korean lawmaker said Wednesday, with the possibility of soon being dispatched to the front lines.

South Korea relies on security guarantees from the US to deter North Korean aggression, providing sites that host about 28,500 American troops. Earlier in March, a nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier docked at a South Korean port, prompting the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to denounce the deployment of strategic assets in the region.

South Korea’s spy agency says North Korea appears to have sent additional troops to Russia to help with Ukraine war.

The fresh deployment comes after North Korea suffered heavy casualties on the front lines in Russia’s war against Ukraine, the South’s spy agency says.

The reports of a new deployment come after Pyongyang was said to be suffering heavy losses in the Kursk region.

Some 3,500 North Korean soldiers undergoing field adaptation training in 5 locations in Russia's Far East,' with a possibility of a 3rd deployment, says Yu Yong-weon, citing Ukrainian intelligence - A

Ukrainian troops holding positions in Kursk say the North Koreans have reappeared on the battlefield and become even more formidable foes.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service says it is assessing size of Pyongyang’s deployment to the war in Ukraine.

North Korea is no exception. Reports indicate that Kim Jong-un's soldiers, sent to fight alongside Russia, are learning how to use drones and improve battlefield tactics. This could have serious consequences for the region.