Overview

• At a memorial in Pyongyang, Kim Jong-un apologized to families for failing to protect troops and lauded their sacrifice, marking a rare public admission of overseas losses.
• State media did not reveal casualty totals, while Yonhap reported 101 portraits of the fallen on display with names inscribed in gold.
• South Korean intelligence estimates about 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and roughly 4,000 wounded from a deployment of around 15,000.
• Ukrainian and Western intelligence warn of possible additional deployments, citing projections of a further 25,000 to 30,000 North Korean troops.
• Military ties with Moscow have expanded since a June pact, with Seoul reporting shipments of conventional weapons and about five million rounds, as Vladimir Putin praised North Korean soldiers’ valor in a letter.