A former North Korean military sergeant has revealed that Pyongyang's soldiers deployed to Russia to fight in Ukraine fear capture more than death, as they are told their families will be executed if they are taken alive.

South Korea’s spy agency said Thursday that North Korea appears to have sent additional troops to Russia, after its soldiers deployed on the Russian-Ukraine fronts suffered heavy casualties. The National Intelligence Service said in a brief statement it was trying to determine exactly how many more troops North Korea has