A soldier who was captured by Ukrainian forces while supporting Russia in the conflict spoke to South Korean media, expressing his desire to seek political asylum and start a new life in South Korea if the Korean government agrees.
According to the South Korean newspaper “Chosun Ilbo,” two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces on January 9 in the Kursk region of Russia. Reporters from the newspaper recently interviewed these soldiers in a prisoner-of-war camp in Ukraine, marking the first media contact with these captives.
The two soldiers, a 26-year-old sniper named Lee and a 21-year-old rifleman named Baek, had served in the North Korean military for 10 and 4 years, respectively. They were deployed to the Kursk region from October to November last year. Both were members of the elite North Korean unit known as the “Storm Brigade,” but during the interviews, they claimed to be soldiers of the Reconnaissance General Bureau.
During the interviews, Lee and Baek revealed that North Korean defense officials monitored and controlled North Korean military personnel in Kursk. They also incited hatred by spreading false claims that South Korean forces sent to Ukraine were using drones to attack North Korean soldiers.
Both soldiers are only sons, and their parents were unaware of their deployment to Russia or their capture by Ukrainian forces. Prior to their deployment to Russia, they were also unaware that they would be sent to fight.
Lee mentioned that despite coming from the privileged class in Pyongyang, he had faced many hardships due to the difficult environment. He disclosed that he had crossed the threshold of death numerous times on the battlefield.
He explained that in early October last year, he left North Korea for Vladivostok, Russia, for training and was later sent to Kursk in mid-December. Initially told they were going for educational purposes, they only learned about their combat mission upon arrival in Kursk.
The group of around 2,500 people, including Lee and Baek, traveled to Kursk by airplane, train, and bus. They communicated with Russian soldiers using smartphone translation apps, marking Lee’s first interaction with foreigners as he had never encountered them before.
During the Russia-Ukraine conflict, North Korean soldiers suffered heavy casualties due to their lack of knowledge and training on drones. Ukrainian intelligence estimates that North Korea dispatched approximately 12,000 soldiers to Russia, with 4,000 already either killed or injured.
Lee described being injured and captured by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield, sharing the severity of his wounds and the loss of his comrades. He expressed the burden of being the only survivor and the pressure of the directive in North Korean forces that being captured equates to betrayal.
Having served ten years without ever returning home, Lee expressed a strong desire to reunite with his parents and pursue his dreams, including applying for refugee status and starting a new life in South Korea with an 80% commitment.
As for Baek, he was also captured after being wounded in combat. He mentioned being a new recruit who had recently transferred to a different unit. He highlighted that the North Korean military had not fully disclosed the nature of their mission when they were sent to Russia for combat.
Graduating from high school and joining the military the year his father passed away, Baek had not seen his mother during his four years of service and yearned to be reunited with her. He shared aspirations of attending university post-military service and working in fields like business management, mentioning a consideration towards relocating to South Korea if unable to return home.
In previous reports by “Chosun Ilbo,” Ukrainian President Zelensky stated that over 4,000 support troops for Russia from North Korea had faced casualties, with approximately two-thirds being fatalities. Despite significant losses among North Korean soldiers, Russia requested additional troops from North Korea to join the conflict.