South Korea's spy agency has confirmed that Ukrainian forces operating in the Kursk region of Russia have captured two wounded North Korean soldiers.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said on Sunday that it was aware of the local battlefield situation, including the capture of North Korean soldiers, through real-time cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine and confirmed that Ukraine captured two North Korean soldiers on Thursday.

The lives of the wounded North Korean soldiers were reportedly not in danger.

One of the two soldiers reportedly said during questioning that he arrived in Russia in November and received military training from Russian forces for a week before moving to the battlefield, adding that he thought he was going for training, not to the war against Ukraine.

According to reports, the captured soldier claimed that the battle resulted in significant casualties, leaving him behind and leading to his capture after four or five days of starvation.

The NIS said that it would continue to share relevant information through close cooperation with Ukrainian intelligence authorities regarding North Korean prisoners of war.