SEOUL - A Samsung phone was found among the belongings of a North Korean soldier who was killed by Ukrainian forces while fighting alongside Russian troops, according to the Ukrainian military.

To avoid being hit by multiple drone attacks from the air, North Koreans have taken to forming a ‘human shield,’” says a Seoul-based specialist.

North Korea has not responded to reports of its troops captured or killed by Ukraine forces. It has never publicised the deployment or large shipments of North Korean artillery shells and other weapons sent to Russia to help its war against Ukraine, although they marked the country’s first intervention in a major armed conflict overseas in decades.

North Korea is likely preparing to send additional troops to Russia after suffering heavy losses in battles against Ukrainian forces, South Korea's military said Friday.

Facing exhaustion and North Korean troops, these soldiers fighting for Ukraine say the war needs to end. A CBC News team spoke to them before they headed back to the front line, trying to hold territory seized in Russia's Kursk region.

Ukrainian special operations forces have given an insight into the brutal, near-suicidal tactics of the North Koreans they have faced in intense fighting in the Russian border region of Kursk.

New reports reveal the presence of North Korean soldiers on the Kursk front, using outdated strategies and extreme loyalty to Kim Jong Un.