"Soldiers perish in the first minutes of the assault." How special forces captured North Korean fighters and what the Koreans revealed about their experience.
Ukrainian SSO fighters, who captured the first North Korean soldiers in Kursk, shared their experiences with RBC-Ukraine. Learn how the Ukrainian military managed this and what the Koreans say about the war in the article by RBC-Ukraine journalist Yulia Akimova.
At the beginning of the full-scale war, the Kremlin believed that it would quickly conquer Ukraine with a small force. This is why the first Russian soldiers heading to Kyiv brought ceremonial uniforms with them. Almost three years into this major conflict, with immense human losses, sanctions, and a slow but steady isolation, Moscow realized that outside assistance would be necessary.
The first reports of Russia planning to recruit soldiers from North Korea for the war against Ukraine surfaced back in October. Intelligence agencies from three countries—South Korea, Ukraine, and the USA—made such statements. By December, it was already known that the first battalions of DPRK soldiers had been deployed to the Kursk region to assist the Russian army.
Staying true to form, Russia has not elaborated on whether it is employing soldiers from friendly Pyongyang in the war against Ukraine. However, this has not stopped other countries' intelligence agencies from regularly uncovering and publicizing various information, especially since the facts are indisputable. According to various sources, between 10,000 and 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to the Kursk region, and judging by intelligence reports, the Russian command is not treating them kindly.
Recent intelligence from South Korea indicates that over a thousand DPRK soldiers have already died in just a few months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on his part, reports a staggering four thousand irrecoverable losses among the Korean soldiers. According to Western publications, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un himself proposed to the Russian dictator to utilize his military "services" in exchange for long-term protection.
However, it cannot be said that Putin relies on North Korean soldiers as a last resort in his attempt to win this war. His own army is slowly, but steadily advancing, occupying more Ukrainian territories. The DPRK fighters are primarily used in the Kursk region to avoid exposing this section of the front and to continue the Russian advance. Unfortunately, they are succeeding in this.
Ukrainian soldiers engaged in battles in the Kursk region have made several attempts to capture North Korean soldiers but faced failures. In late December, they managed to capture two North Korean fighters. These soldiers were brought to Ukraine, treated, and SBU officials even managed to record a few "interviews" with them.
The First Captive
Images of the purported Koreans in captivity began to emerge just a week after the first DPRK soldiers were spotted in the Kursk region. Preliminary investigations revealed that the individuals in the photos were either Tuvinians or Buryats, resetting the count of captured Koreans to zero.
In late December, Ukrainian military almost succeeded in capturing a DPRK soldier, but he died during evacuation due to life-threatening injuries. Another soldier committed suicide right before the eyes of the Ukrainian forces. Such "self-sacrifice" is explained by Ukrainian soldiers and intelligence as a result of the deep ideological commitment of the North Koreans.
According to a fighter from the 84th Tactical Group of SSO "Greek", the soldiers sent to the Kursk region were not ordinary troops, but rather special operations forces from the DPRK. Clearly, before being sent to war, they were instructed never to surrender. The very fact of their capture by the Ukrainian forces poses grave consequences for their families.
"If the DPRK authorities find out that any military personnel surrendered, their relatives will suffer. They will likely be executed or sent to labor camps. That’s why the Korean who blew himself up when one of our tactical groups approached him chose a grenade over surrender," says "Greek" in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.
When Ukrainian soldiers made their third attempt to capture North Korean soldiers, they managed to seize grenades and weapons from them just in time. In the video available to RBC-Ukraine, SSO fighters in "kikimoras" (special camouflage) appear before the frightened Korean soldier, then lift him and place him on a stretcher. He screams "No!" in English from pain and fear. This is accompanied by the sounds of artillery strikes and the buzzing of drones—Russian soldiers were not keen on the Koreans falling into Ukrainian captivity.
A group of North Korean fighters, including the now-captive soldiers, was tracked by Ukrainian SSO for some time. The DPRK fighters were gathering their strength for an assault, but Ukrainian forces acted preemptively and attacked first.
The battle was brief—Korean soldiers were taken by surprise and quickly disoriented. They began to panic and retreat, creating chaos. Meanwhile, they were already surrounded, and then one DPRK soldier was spotted who had separated from the others. He looked extremely unwell and seemed to be in shock from a shrapnel wound to his leg. Through various persuasion and trickery, they managed to take his carbine and grenade.
Screenshot from SSO video showing the capture of a DPRK soldier (source: RBC-Ukraine)
"He looked almost like a child, a very young guy. We had no thoughts or desires to beat him or anything like that. We wanted to save him, and we succeeded. We did everything to make him feel calm and safe, to understand that he was not in danger from us. That’s how we captured him. Nothing complicated, just a clear and coordinated operation," recounts the SSO fighter.
While the Korean was being carried to a safe location, Russian soldiers attempted to hit the evacuation group with artillery. In hiding, the captive received a pain-relief injection. "He was very thirsty and hungry. He asked for water, food, and cigarettes. He got what he wanted; we didn’t refuse him."
While the military waited for reinforcements, they tried to talk to or at least calm the captured fighter. Ukrainian soldiers were taught a few words in Korean before heading to the Kursk region—"surrender," "crawl," "come here," as well as "yes" and "no." This scant vocabulary was insufficient for a full dialogue, so the Ukrainian soldiers took turns introducing themselves. The Korean kept repeating "Pyongyang."
"Overall, he behaved normally; it was clear that he respected us because he understood we wouldn’t harm him. But it was evident that he was anxious about being a prisoner."
Later, this same captive would say that he wants to stay in Ukraine, but if they decide he cannot, he will return to North Korea. Interestingly, Zelensky himself has stated several times that he is ready to return DPRK soldiers to Kim Jong-un. Meanwhile, South Korea has already declared that they could take them back, as they consider them their citizens.
When the exfiltration group delivered him and the second Korean captive to a safe location, both were handed over to doctors and the SBU.
I was on exercises, I know nothing – what the Koreans say in Ukrainian captivity
In the video first published by Zelensky, both Koreans are seen sitting in a cell. One is sitting, while the other—the one with the injured leg—is lying on three pillows. The first Korean could not engage in a fruitful conversation with the authorities; his broken jaw was tightly bandaged, so he only nodded a couple of times.
The second Korean speaks. SBU officials communicate with him through a translator. He listens carefully to the question, as if he understands Ukrainian, and then slowly responds. At first, he gives the impression of déjà vu—he claims he also came here for exercises and didn’t know he would be fighting.
After a few days, he becomes more talkative and shares how he ended up in captivity. "I don’t exactly remember, but there was some kind of battle; I was wounded, and there was a retreat after the fight. I was injured, so I couldn’t move, and I was alone for about 3-5 days. After that, the Ukrainian forces found me, gave me some injection, and transported me here by vehicle."
The Koreans were also prepared for their encounter with Ukrainian soldiers, but they were not forced to memorize "Stand" and "Crawl." Instead, they were given pictures—one depicting a house and the other depicting a weapon. According to the legend of the captured soldier, these pictures were to be shown to Ukrainian soldiers. If they chose the house, they would be released, and if they chose the weapon, they would be handed over to the Russians.
The captured Korean soldier serves in an intelligence battalion. According to him, in the DPRK, all men go into the army after school and serve for a limited time. He chose intelligence.
"My mother doesn’t know where I was. On the ship I took from Korea to Russia, there were about 100 people. It was a Russian ferry, but not military, it was for cargo transport. But it was just us. On the train were the same people I was with on the ferry," claims the Korean.
He mentions that many Koreans are