Roughly 600 North Korean troops have been killed fighting alongside Russia against Ukraine, South Korean lawmakers said on Wednesday, citing the country’s intelligence agency.

North Korea has suffered about 4,700 casualties in the conflict, which includes deaths and injuries. But some of the country’s troops have shown signs of improvement in combat capabilities over about six months by using modern weapons such as drones, the lawmakers said.

«After six months of participation in the war, the North Korean military has become less inept, and its combat capability has significantly improved as it becomes accustomed to using new weapons such as drones,» Lee Seong-kweun, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters, after being briefed by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.

A total of about 15,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to fight Ukraine.

PUTIN THANKS NORTH KOREA FOR SENDING TROOPS TO FIGHT UKRAINE: ‘WILL NEVER FORGET THE HEROISM’

Under a defense treaty that was signed last year, Pyongyang agreed to deploy troops and supply weapons to Russia in exchange for technical assistance on spy satellites, as well as drones and anti-air missiles, the lawmakers said.

Earlier this week, North Korea confirmed for the first time that it had sent troops to fight Ukrainian forces. It claims it has helped Russia retake its Kursk territory that was controlled by Ukraine.

North Korea’s Central Military Commission said on Monday that the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, had sent troops to Russia to «annihilate and wipe out the Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers and liberate the Kursk area in cooperation with the Russian armed forces.» North Korean troops eventually made «an important contribution» to Russia seizing the border territory, the commission said.

North Korea confirmed for the first time this week that it had sent troops to fight Ukrainian forces. (Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea for sending troops and promised not to forget their sacrifices.

«The Russian people will never forget the heroism of the DPRK special forces,» Putin said on Monday. «We will always honor the heroes who gave their lives for Russia, for our common freedom, fighting side by side with their Russian brothers in arms.»

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia could provide military assistance to North Korea if necessary in accordance with the defense treaty.

TRUMP BLASTS PUTIN, QUESTIONING IF RUSSIAN LEADER WANTS PEACE OR IS JUST ‘TAPPING ME ALONG’

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea for sending troops and promised not to forget their sacrifices. (Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Kremlin via Reuters/File Photo)

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The two U.S. adversaries have moved significantly closer to each other in recent years.

Lee said the remains of dead North Korean soldiers were cremated in Kursk before being shipped back home.

North Korea is also believed to have sent about 15,000 workers to Russia, according to the lawmakers, citing intelligence assessments.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he doubts Putin wants to end the war. Just a day before, Trump had said Ukraine and Russia were «very close to a deal.»

Reuters contributed to this report.

Cada año, cientos de grandes tiburones blancos emprenden un viaje de más de 1.500 kilómetros desde las costas de California hacia una zona remota del océano Pacífico.

Este fenómeno, descubierto a principios de los años 2.000, desconcertó a los científicos durante décadas. Lejos de los abundantes bancos de presas costeras, los tiburones se congregan en un área aparentemente desierta conocida como el White Shark Café, desafiando las explicaciones convencionales sobre el comportamiento de estos depredadores marinos.

Durante mucho tiempo, la existencia de esta zona pasó desapercibida. No fue hasta que investigadores como Barbara Block, de la Universidad de Stanford, comenzaron a utilizar etiquetas satelitales en los tiburones que surgió el primer indicio de su misteriosa migración mar adentro.

Según informó Forbes, los datos revelaron un patrón consistente: tras alimentarse de focas y leones marinos en invierno, los tiburones adultos, en su mayoría machos, partían hacia el Café, donde permanecían entre 50 y 100 días antes de regresar a las costas.

Ubicado en las coordenadas 23.37° N, 132.71° O, el White Shark Café se extiende en una superficie comparable al tamaño del estado de Colorado, entre Baja California y Hawái.

Durante años, los científicos consideraron este sitio un “desierto biológico” debido a su baja productividad superficial, lo que hacía aún más enigmática la presencia sostenida de tiburones blancos en la región.

A pesar de la falta aparente de presas, el Café atrae anualmente a numerosos tiburones adultos. Durante su estancia, los animales realizan inmersiones profundas que pueden alcanzar los 914 metros, además de frecuentes desplazamientos verticales a unos 457 metros de profundidad, de acuerdo con datos de telemetría satelital.

Los avances tecnológicos recientes permitieron revelar una realidad oculta en las profundidades del Café. De acuerdo con la información compartida por Forbes, expediciones realizadas por la Oficina de Exploración Oceánica de la NOAA a bordo del RV Falkor emplearon etiquetas satelitales recuperadas, planeadores Slocum y saildrones para cartografiar las condiciones oceanográficas.

Estos esfuerzos descubrieron una floración de fitoplancton profundo, invisible a los satélites tradicionales, y una comunidad próspera de más de 100 especies mesopelágicas, incluidos peces pequeños, calamares y medusas.

El hallazgo de esta red alimentaria viable sugiere que el White Shark Café no es un desierto biológico, sino un ecosistema oculto que podría sustentar a grandes depredadores pelágicos como el tiburón blanco.

Esta nueva información transforma la comprensión de los ecosistemas de mar abierto y demuestra que zonas aparentemente áridas pueden albergar complejas cadenas alimenticias.

Aunque se lograron avances importantes, el propósito exacto de la migración anual sigue siendo incierto. Las principales hipótesis apuntan a que el White Shark Café podría funcionar tanto como zona de alimentación como área de apareamiento.

Sin embargo, datos obtenidos mediante el marcado de individuos muestran una marcada predominancia de machos, un detalle que plantea nuevas interrogantes sobre la dinámica poblacional en la región.

Además, la variabilidad oceanográfica interanual podría influir en la intensidad de las agregaciones, aunque los mecanismos exactos aún están bajo estudio.

Las futuras investigaciones buscarán precisar si los tiburones visitan el Café principalmente para alimentarse, reproducirse o por otras razones aún desconocidas.

El interés científico en los grandes tiburones blancos se debe también a sus características únicas como depredadores ápice. Esta especie, que puede superar los 6 metros de longitud y alcanzar los 2.000 kilogramos de peso, posee adaptaciones fisiológicas que la convierten en una de las más eficientes del océano.

Entre sus particularidades, destaca la capacidad de mantener partes de su cuerpo a temperaturas superiores a las del agua circundante, gracias a un sistema especializado de retención de calor.

Además, sus seis sentidos refinados, incluida la electrorrecepción a través de las ampollas de Lorenzini, un agudo sentido del olfato y una excelente visión, refuerzan su habilidad como cazador.

Investigaciones genómicas recientes revelaron también genes relacionados con la reparación de heridas y la estabilidad del genoma, proporcionando pistas sobre su notable longevidad y resistencia física.

El descubrimiento del White Shark Café y el entendimiento de su importancia como hábitat alimenticio transformaron la visión científica sobre los tiburones pelágicos y la productividad del océano abierto.

Estudios interdisciplinarios impulsados por el uso de tecnologías avanzadas demostraron que los grandes tiburones blancos no solo explotan ecosistemas costeros, sino que también dependen de hábitats pelágicos invisibles para la observación satelital tradicional.

El término White Shark Café fue acuñado en 2.002 por científicos del Instituto de Investigación del Acuario de la Bahía de Monterey, tras identificar patrones de convergencia en los datos de marcas satelitales.

Desde entonces, este enigmático lugar continúa fascinando a la comunidad científica y abriendo nuevas puertas al conocimiento sobre el comportamiento y la ecología de una de las especies más estudiadas del océano.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said the economic challenge sparked by President Donald Trump’s «chaos and uncertainty» is the biggest issue facing the Peach State, stressing that the president’s uncertain economic policy is impacting how businesses and residents make decisions for the future.

Ossoff, preparing to run for re-election in 2026, potentially against Georgia’s popular Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who has yet to announce if he will join the race. Ossoff is the only Democrat seeking reelection who represents a state that Trump won last year, making him a top target for Republicans hoping to maintain their Senate majority.

«I am more than prepared for any challenger,» Ossoff, 38, told The Associated Press on Saturday while declining to comment on any potential opponents.

Ossoff defeated incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue in a runoff in 2021, helping Democrats flip control of the Senate and hold onto the chamber’s majority for four years during the Biden administration.

SENATOR JOINS GROUP OF FAR-LEFT LAWMAKERS WHO THINK TRUMP HAS — AGAIN — COMMITTED IMPEACHABLE OFFENSES

During his first four years, Ossoff attempted to establish a reputation as a senator working to advance Georgia’s traditional interests, including its farmers and military bases. He says he will attempt to work with Republicans to deliver for Georgia.

The senator, who has recently intensified his criticisms of Trump, warned Saturday that businesses and households in Georgia are struggling to plan for the future because of constant changes in the federal government’s trade and economic moves.

«Businesses are unable to invest with an understanding of what the rules of international trade will be from one hour or week or month to the next,» Ossoff told The Associated Press. «Households are unable to plan their annual budgets because there’s so much chaos and uncertainty in the implementation of federal economic policy.»

«This administration needs to clearly define its economic objectives, and it needs to competently implement its plan, whatever that plan may be,» he continued. «The fact that the White House does not even know what its policy is, and is with such unpredictability and chaos, lurching from one policy to the other, is putting the state’s economy at serious economic risk.»

STACEY ABRAMS CONSIDERS 3RD RUN FOR GEORGIA GOVERNOR DESPITE BACK-TO-BACK DEFEATS

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., speaks during an interview at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Marietta, Georgia. (AP)

Ossoff also expressed concerns about Trump’s authoritarian and «un-American» executive action since returning to the White House in January, pointing to the president’s attempts to go after his political opponents.

«We have never seen a president try to wield the federal government to crush his critics and political adversaries,» Ossoff said. «That’s something new in American history, and it is, in my view, un-American. And it’s something that should chill us to the bone, no matter our politics, no matter our policy preferences.»

The lawmaker urged Republicans to remember that eventually a Democrat will be president again and «the shoe will be on the other foot.»

«This is about checks and balances,» he said. «This is about whether or not the executive branch is constrained as designed by our Constitution, by judicious legislators who can put their partisanship aside to protect the public interest.»

Ossoff explained that, while Democrats have limited power without control of the White House or either chamber of Congress, a big part of his job at the moment is to inform the people of Georgia that Trump’s policies are not in the state’s best interest.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., speaks during an interview at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Marietta, Georgia. (AP)

In addition to his criticism of Trump, Ossoff has cited shortcomings during the Biden administration, particularly when it comes to border security. He was one of 12 Democrats who voted for the Laken Riley Act, named after a Georgia nursing student murdered by Venezuelan migrant Jose Antonio Ibarra.

The law requires illegal migrants accused — even without a conviction — of theft or violent crimes to be detained by the Department of Homeland Security.

«My view is that the American people expect and deserve secure borders,» Ossoff said. «And I think the Biden administration failed in its border policies. The American people expect and deserve for people who enter this country illegally and may pose a threat to public safety or national security to be apprehended by the authorities.»

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«But the American people don’t support and don’t expect federal police raids on elementary schools and hospitals and churches,» he continued, referring to the Trump administration’s controversial immigration enforcement actions. «And [the American people] don’t expect our military installations to become mass prison camps for immigrants and don’t want entire families rounded up with no due process. We just learned yesterday about a two-year-old U.S. citizen — a two-year-old girl — who was deported without due process. Our immigration policy needs to be responsible and serious. It also needs to be humane.»

The Associated Press contributed to this report.