A Kim Jong-un fighter believed to have been held in Russia’s Kursk region is purported to be in the image and, following its release, South Korea released a curious statement

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this month that Russia was trying to "conceal losses" of North Korean troops fighting against Ukraine.

South Korean National Intelligence Service is said to have confirmed the development in the last hour, after it had emerged the Kim Jong-un fighter was held in Russia

South Korea’s spy agency said Friday a wounded North Korean soldier who was captured while fighting for Russia against Ukrainian forces has since died from his injuries, the Yonhap news agency reported.

Ukrainian troops have captured a North Korean soldier and Russian materials in Kursk as the battle between the warring countries intensifies.

The soldier is believed to be the first North Korean prisoner of war captured since December, when Pyongyang deployed forces to support Russia's war in Ukraine. The confirmation comes after a photo purporting to show the wounded soldier circulated on Telegram.

One of those North Korean soldiers was captured alive by the Ukrainian army on Thursday, a South Korean intelligence source told AFP, adding that the location where he was seized was not known. Hours later,

The confirmation followed a report from Ukraine's military-focused news outlet Militarnyi on Dec. 26, which first revealed the capture without specifying the date of the incident.