For weeks, Ukrainian forces have faced a grim and unconventional adversary: North Korean soldiers sent to support Russia in its prolonged war against Ukraine. The presence of these troops has introduced new challenges, marked by acts of self-detonation and unyielding loyalty to North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un.
This week, Ukraine's Special Operations Forces described a chilling encounter in Russia's Kursk region. After a battle, Ukrainian forces discovered the bodies of more than a dozen slain North Korean soldiers. Among them, one soldier, still alive, detonated a grenade as Ukrainian troops approached, killing himself. "Self-detonation and suicides: that's the reality about North Korea," said Kim, a former North Korean soldier who defected to South Korea in 2022.
Kim, who spent seven years working for North Korea's military on projects in Russia, said the soldiers are indoctrinated to sacrifice themselves for their leader. "These soldiers who left home for a fight there have been brainwashed and are truly ready to sacrifice themselves for Kim Jong Un," he told Reuters.
North Korea has reportedly deployed approximately 11,000 soldiers to assist Russian forces in the western Kursk region, a strategically significant area Ukraine reclaimed during a surprise incursion last year. According to Kyiv, over 3,000 of these soldiers have been killed or injured.
South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun, citing the country's National Intelligence Service (NIS), noted that North Korean soldiers appear ill-prepared for modern warfare, including drone attacks. They are being used as "cannon fodder" by Russia, Lee said. He added that some troops carry instructions to commit suicide rather than face capture.
"Recently, it has been confirmed that a North Korean soldier, facing imminent capture, shouted for General Kim Jong Un and attempted to blow himself up with a grenade," Lee said. Memos found on deceased soldiers further emphasized the importance of self-destruction to protect both their loyalty to Kim and their families back home.
For North Korean troops, capture is viewed as an unforgivable betrayal. "Becoming a prisoner of war means treason. Being captured means you are a traitor. Leave one last bullet-that's what we are taught in the military," said Kim, the defector.
While Moscow and Pyongyang initially dismissed reports of North Korean troop deployments as "fake news," recent statements suggest a shift. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not denied their presence, and a North Korean official claimed such deployments would be lawful.
This week, Ukraine released videos of two captured North Korean soldiers. One reportedly expressed a desire to stay in Ukraine, while the other wished to return to North Korea. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is willing to hand over captured North Korean soldiers to Kim Jong Un if they can facilitate an exchange for Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia.
The deployment marks North Korea's most significant involvement in a conflict since the Korean War of 1950-53. Although Pyongyang sent smaller contingents to conflicts in Vietnam and Syria, this new engagement raises concerns about the regime's combat experience.
The U.S. has warned that North Korea's participation in the Russia-Ukraine war could make its military "more capable of waging war against its neighbors." Kim Jong Un has previously declared his army "the strongest in the world," showcasing propaganda videos of soldiers braving frozen conditions and performing extreme physical feats.
