'They die within first minutes of assaults': How Ukrainian military captures North Koreans and what prisoners say

Contents:

• First capture
• 'I was at a training, I know nothing' – What Koreans say in Ukrainian captivity
• How North Koreans fight

At the beginning of the full-scale war, the Kremlin was confident it could conquer Ukraine quickly with a small force. That’s why the first Russian soldiers marching toward Kyiv carried ceremonial uniforms. Nearly three years into the large-scale war, after heavy human losses, sanctions, and gradual but persistent isolation, Moscow realized that external help was necessary.

Reports that Russia intended to involve North Korean soldiers in the war against Ukraine emerged as early as October. Intelligence agencies from South Korea, Ukraine, and the US made these claims simultaneously. By December, it was already known that the first battalions from North Korea had been deployed to the Kursk region to support the Russian army.

True to its secretive nature, Russia refrains from openly discussing whether it uses soldiers from friendly Pyongyang in the war against Ukraine. However, intelligence from other countries regularly uncovers and discloses this information, often with undeniable evidence. Various sources report that between 10,000 and 12,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to the Kursk region. Intelligence also suggests that Russian commanders are not sparing them.

According to South Korean intelligence, more than a thousand North Korean soldiers have died in a few months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned as many as four thousand irreversible losses among Korean soldiers. Western media report that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un himself offered Russian President Putin the "services" of his troops in exchange for long-term patronage.

However, it would be incorrect to say that Putin relies on North Korean soldiers as a last resort to win the war. His army continues, albeit slowly, to advance and occupy more Ukrainian territory. Soldiers from North Korea are being used in the Kursk region primarily to prevent the front line there from being exposed, allowing Russia to continue its offensive. Unfortunately, they are succeeding in this strategy.

Putin and Kim Jong-un (photo: Getty Images)

Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the Kursk region attempted to capture Korean soldiers several times but initially failed. At the end of December, Ukrainians finally managed to capture two North Korean fighters. They were transported to Ukraine for medical treatment, and the Security Service of Ukraine even recorded a few "interviews" with them.

First capture

Photos purportedly showing Koreans in captivity appeared about a week after the first sightings of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. Upon closer examination, the individuals in the images were often identified as Tuvans or Buryats, resetting the count of captured Koreans.

In late December, Ukrainian forces nearly captured a North Korean soldier, but he died during evacuation from life-threatening injuries. Another soldier committed suicide in front of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to the Ukrainian military and intelligence, such "self-sacrifice" is explained by the ideological indoctrination of North Korean soldiers.

According to "Grek," a fighter from the 84th Tactical Group of Ukraine`s Special Operations Forces, North Korea did not send ordinary soldiers to the Kursk region but rather special forces operatives. Before being deployed to the war, they were instructed never to surrender. Being captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces would have severe consequences for their families back home.

"If the North Korean authorities find out that a soldier surrendered, his family will likely face execution or be sent to forced labor camps. That’s why the soldier who blew himself up with a grenade chose that over being captured when our tactical group approached him," "Grek" told RBC-Ukraine.

During their third attempt to capture North Korean soldiers, Ukrainian forces managed to seize their grenades and weapons in time. Video footage available to RBC-Ukraine shows Special Operations Forces fighters in kikimora suits (special military camouflage - ed.) appearing before a frightened Korean soldier, lifting him, and placing him on a stretcher. The soldier screams "No!" in English out of pain and fear. The scene is accompanied by the sounds of incoming shellfire and the buzzing of drones, as Russian troops did not want the Koreans to fall into Ukrainian captivity.

The group of North Korean soldiers, including those who were later captured, had been under Ukrainian surveillance for some time. They were gathering their forces for an assault, but Ukrainian soldiers preemptively attacked.

The fight was brief - the Korean soldiers were caught off guard and quickly disoriented. Panic set in as they retreated chaotically. Ukrainian forces surrounded them and spotted one North Korean soldier who had separated from the rest. He appeared in poor condition, likely suffering from pain shock due to a shrapnel wound to the leg. Through persuasion and tactical maneuvers, the Ukrainian forces disarmed him, taking away his carbine and grenade.

Screenshot from the Special Operations Forces video when they capture a North Korean fighter (source: RBC-Ukraine)

"He looked almost like a child, a very young guy. We had no thoughts or desire to hurt him or anything like that. We just wanted to save him, and we succeeded. We did everything to make him feel calm and safe, so he understood we wouldn’t harm him. That’s how we captured him. It was just a clear and well-coordinated operation," said a Special Operations Forces fighter.

As the Ukrainian military transported the Korean soldier to a safe place, Russian forces attempted to target the evacuation group with artillery. In a shelter, the prisoner received a painkiller injection. "He really wanted to drink and eat. He asked for water, food, and cigarettes. We gave him what he wanted; we didn’t refuse."

While waiting for reinforcements, Ukrainian soldiers tried to engage the captive in conversation or at least calm him down. Before being sent to the Kursk region, they had learned a few Korean words - "surrender," "crawl," "come here," as well as "yes" and "no." This minimal vocabulary wasn’t enough for a full conversation, so the Ukrainian soldiers took turns sharing where they were from. The Korean soldier kept repeating "Pyongyang."

"Overall, he behaved normally. You could see he respected us because he realized we wouldn’t harm him. But it was also clear he was worried about being captured."

Later, this same prisoner would say he wanted to stay in Ukraine but would return to North Korea if it was decided he had to. President Zelenskyy even mentioned a few times that he was willing to return the North Korean soldiers to Kim Jong-un. Meanwhile, South Korea has already expressed a willingness to take them in, considering them its citizens.

When the exfiltration team transported him and the second North Korean prisoner to a safe location, both were handed over to doctors and the Security Service of Ukraine.

'I was at training, I know nothing' – What Koreans say in Ukrainian captivity

On the videos first published by Zelenskyy, both Koreans are shown sitting in a cell. More precisely, one is sitting, while the second - the one with a wounded leg - is lying down on three pillows. The first Korean couldn't engage in a fruitful conversation with the security officers as his broken jaw was tightly bandaged, so he only nodded a few times.

One of the captured North Korean soldiers (photo: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Telegram channel)

The second Korean speaks. The security officers communicate with him through a translator. He listens carefully to the questions, seemingly understanding Ukrainian, and then slowly answers. His initial words create a sense of déjà vu - it turns out he also came for training and had no idea he would be fighting.

After a few days, he becomes more talkative and describes how he ended up being captured. "I don't remember exactly, but there was some battle. I was wounded, and after the fight, there was a retreat. I was injured, so I couldn't move and was alone for about 3-5 days. After that, the Ukrainian military found me, gave me some injection, and transported me here by car."

The Koreans were also prepared for encounters with Ukrainian soldiers but were not taught commands like "Stop" and "Crawl." Instead, they were given pictures - one showing a house and the other depicting a weapon. According to the captive soldier's account, they were supposed to show these pictures to Ukrainian soldiers. If the soldiers chose the house, they would be released; if they picked the weapon, they were to be handed over to the Russians.

One of the captured North Korean soldiers (photo: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Telegram channel)

The captured Korean serves in a reconnaissance battalion. According to him, all men in North Korea join the army and undergo mandatory service after school. He chose reconnaissance.

"My mother doesn't know where I was. On the ship that brought me from Korea to Russia, there were about 100 people. It was a Russian ferry, but not a military one - it was for cargo transport. But we were the only ones aboard. On the train, it was the same people who had been on the ferry," claims the North Korean.

He mentions that many Koreans are dying in battles in the Kursk region but does not provide a number. It's hard to tell when he's lying and when he genuinely doesn't know, but it’s evident that he carefully chooses his words.

"I don't know much about the world outside North Korea. About South Korea, I only know that there are fewer mountains there than in North Korea."

How North Koreans fight

Ukraine`s Special Operations Forces fighter with the call sign "Grek" says that North Koreans are present in several sectors of the Kursk region, in some places without Russian "rear" support. "But imagine them (North Koreans - ed.) deploying 10,000 soldiers in one direction. This tactic creates pressure on both Ukrainian forces and logistics. To counter such massive waves of assaults, significant resources are required."

A freshly issued Russian military ID without a photograph was found on a captured North Korean soldier. The registration section stated that the soldier is a Tuvan from Mongolia.

Ukrainian military personnel report that North Korean soldiers are highly resilient. According to Ukrainian fighters' observations, the Koreans can carry heavy loads over long distances. They move professionally in pairs, a characteristic of special forces soldiers. Their level of training is fairly high, and at times they act intelligently, but they lack the most important thing - experience.

One of the captured North Korean soldiers (photo: Telegram channel of President Volodymyr Zelensky)

"North Korean troops are not prepared for modern warfare at all, unlike the Russians, who have continuous combat experience and know how to adapt to changes on the battlefield. North Koreans don't. We've seen this in various instances, particularly in drone warfare," says "Grek."

A month and a half ago, North Koreans had no understanding of what UAVs were. They would gaze in astonishment at Ukrainian drone cameras and didn't hurry to hide. The result was predictable - significant losses among North Korean soldiers. After some time, they more or less learned how to react to drone attacks - they even received appropriate instructions. However, they follow these instructions rather clumsily, which allows drone pilots of Tactical Group 81 to handle them "brilliantly," according to "Grek."

"North Koreans haven't fully realized yet that machines, not just people, can fight. They try to counter it but to no avail. They die en masse because they don't know how to fight against drones. That's all there is to it. And a lot of them die. The vast majority of North Korean soldiers perish in the first minutes of assaults. The small groups that remain try to capture positions," says the Ukrainian military.

Moreover, their commanders go into assaults with them, which is a rare occurrence in itself. Ukraine`s Special Operations Forces note that North Korean soldiers should not be underestimated- they adapt slowly but surely, and they are highly ideologically driven, seeking to demonstrate loyalty to their ideals on the battlefield. It remains unclear which specific ideals the Koreans are loyal to while fighting for the Russian army, but ideological motivation itself is a powerful force.

Nevertheless, during a single combat mission, Ukrainian forces can eliminate up to 15 North Korean soldiers. The Russians openly do not spare them, sending them to the front lines to scout the situation.

"Our artillerymen work excellently. And Ukraine`s Special Operations Forces operators handle fire contact brilliantly. In fact, even if North Korean troops encounter us somewhere, their chances of survival are roughly zero."

***

The collective West condemned Putin's actions in involving North Korean fighters and was forced to respond. In response to the Kremlin's actions, Kyiv was allowed to use Western long-range weapons, albeit only within a 300 km range. In this situation, it is clear that Putin has seized the initiative - he is the one taking the first steps to test Ukraine's allies' resilience. Meanwhile, the West is merely reacting.