North Korean soldier's unexpected truth: Sent as a 'student' to war
Soldiers from North Korea are fighting on Russia's side. However, not everyone is aware of why they are going to Ukraine. One of the military personnel revealed to a South Korean newspaper what he was promised. "I had no idea I would be participating in combat," he admitted.
Soldiers from North Korea appeared on the front in Ukraine at the end of November. After a few days, information began to emerge about the first clashes with Ukrainian soldiers. The newcomers from the Far East suffered heavy losses. Therefore, recently, there have been reports of their withdrawal from the Kursk region, which is partially occupied by the Ukrainian army.
Thanks to the capture of some soldiers, Ukrainians can learn a little more about Kim Jong-Un's army. The state of knowledge about it is not very extensive due to the North Korean regime's isolation from the world.
the war in Ukraine. They captured a Korean. "I had no idea"
Anton Herashchenko, former Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, announced that one of the Korean prisoners had given an interview to the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo. He is 26-year-old Ri, a reconnaissance sniper who served in the North Korean army for 10 years.
I was told I was going there as a student for training. I had no idea I would be participating in combat
His unit was then informed that it would participate in the fight only after it was "placed in a staging area" in the Kursk region. According to Ri, he is the only survivor of the unit.
Almost everyone I came with has been killed. All the men who came with me are gone. In my unit, all my comrades have died. There’s no one left says the Korean.
He added that the reason for the high losses is "devilish drones" that can operate at night thanks to infrared sensors. "So many were lost because of them," says Ri. The Russian artillery did not cover the Korean soldiers at all. Each time, they went to slaughter.
According to Herashchenko, the 26-year-old Korean wants to apply for asylum and go to South Korea because, as he says, it will be very difficult for him if he returns home. The North Korean soldier also fears, "If the North Korean government learns of my capture, I fear my parents will be forced to leave Pyongyang."
