Seoul has confirmed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have captured a North Korean soldier for the first time.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have captured the first North Korean soldier who fought on the side of Russia.

This was reported by Yonhap citing the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.

"Through real-time information exchange with the intelligence agency of a friendly country, the capture of an injured North Korean soldier has been confirmed," the agency stated.

However, the South Korean intelligence currently lacks information on the exact location where the soldier was captured, an AFP source in Seoul clarified.

According to the Ukrainian publication "Militarnyi," the capture occurred in the Kursk region. A photograph of the soldier, who was likely taken prisoner, had previously appeared on social media, but Ukrainian authorities have not officially commented on this information.

Previously, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were ordered to capture at least one North Korean soldier with documents, sources within the Ukrainian army told the BBC. According to them, military personnel were promised rewards for this, including additional leave.

However, as Lieutenant "Alex" of the Ukrainian Armed Forces described, capturing North Korean soldiers turned out to be a challenging task, as they are "programmed for a one-time mission."

"They are truly reckless individuals at times, with a task to die but fulfill it," explained the Ukrainian serviceman.

According to estimates from Ukraine and its Western partners, North Korea has sent at least 10,000 troops to Russia.

On December 23, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea stated that North Korea's irrecoverable losses in the Russian-Ukrainian war amount to 1,100 individuals. However, it is believed in Seoul that Pyongyang intends to send additional troops and military equipment to Russia.

In turn, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that more than 3,000 soldiers from North Korea have been killed or wounded during combat operations in the Kursk region.

"Russia is simply utilizing them in assaults. Why should Koreans fight for Putin? No sane person on earth would answer that. And unfortunately, the world is doing almost nothing to counter the criminal collaboration between Russia and North Korea," Zelensky stated.