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Ukraine captures two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region, Seoul confirms

12.01.2025 16:00
Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, Italy, 10 January 2025.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, Italy, 10 January 2025.Photo: EPA/Paolo Giandotti/Quirinal Palace Press Office

This is the first time Ukraine has publicly reported capturing North Korean soldiers alive since their entry into the conflict last autumn.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed the capture on Sunday, reporting that one of the prisoners admitted significant losses among North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces.

According to NIS data, at least 100 North Korean soldiers have died, and around 1,000 have been wounded since their deployment.

Details of the capture

The two captured soldiers, born in 1999 and 2005, have been serving in the North Korean military since 2016 and 2021, respectively.

Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) officials, in cooperation with the NIS, conducted the interrogation using Korean translators, as the prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, Russian or English.

One soldier admitted that he believed he was being sent for training, not to fight against Ukraine. He was found with a Russian military ID issued to someone else registered in Russia.

Zelensky stated that the prisoners were wounded but survived and have been transferred to Kyiv, where they are receiving medical care.

Both are reportedly in stable condition, with one suffering from a jaw injury and the other from a leg fracture.

Journalists are expected to be given access to interview the prisoners soon.

North Korean troops in Kursk

According to Kyiv and Western intelligence, North Korea began sending troops to support Russia in October 2024, with estimates suggesting more than 10,000 soldiers have been deployed.

Ukrainian forces launched an incursion into the Kursk region in August 2024, and by November, Ukrainian control had decreased to about 800 square kilometers of Russian territory.

Despite Moscow’s silence on the matter, Kyiv continues to claim that North Korean troops are actively involved in combat in the region.

Pyongyang is also believed to have supplied Russia with large quantities of artillery shells.

International cooperation

The NIS has pledged continued cooperation with Ukrainian intelligence regarding the North Korean prisoners.

"We will continue to share related information through close cooperation with the SBU," the NIS stated.

Meanwhile, a criminal investigation is underway in Ukraine to determine whether the two captured soldiers violated Ukrainian laws prohibiting participation in acts of war.

Both prisoners are being held in accordance with international law, according to the SBU.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, sparking a large-scale war that has drawn in various international actors, including North Korean troops supporting Russian forces.

(ał)

Source: Reuters, PAP