It is "highly likely" North Korea will send more troops to fight for Russia in Ukraine, said Seoul's defense minister, commenting on reports of North Korean soldiers dying near Donetsk last week. Kim Yong-hyun said: "The issue of deploying regular troops is highly likely, due to the mutual agreements that resemble a military alliance between Russia and North Korea." South Korea's defense minister added deaths could be expected, saying: "We assess that the occurrence of casualties among North Korean officers and soldiers in Ukraine is highly likely, considering various circumstances."