94Ha Viewpoint
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service revealed on Monday (January 13) that the cumulative number of casualties of North Korean troops sent to fight in the Kursk region of Russia exceeded 3,000, including more than 300 deaths and more than 2,700 injuries. At the same time, two North Korean soldiers captured by the Ukrainian army confessed that North Korea had issued an order to “explode when captured.” This news has caused concerns that these soldiers may face greater dangers if they are repatriated.
Lee Sung-kwon, a member of the ruling party and intelligence committee of the South Korean National Assembly, said that the tactics of the North Korean army are obviously backward, the shooting of remote-controlled drones is meaningless, and the assault war lacks rear fire support, which shows a lack of understanding of modern warfare. Russia seems to use the North Korean army as consumables, which is also the main reason for the large-scale casualties.
The National Intelligence Service obtained statements from two captured soldiers through cooperation with Ukrainian intelligence agencies. The two belong to the General Bureau of Reconnaissance of North Korea and are among the 2,500 fighters sent to Russia. According to the confession, the North Korean authorities promised to pay wages and give “hero treatment”, but the actual situation did not match the promise, and the soldiers were actually used as “consumables” on the battlefield.
The National Intelligence Service revealed that in the notes of the dead soldiers, the North Korean authorities had found an order requiring the soldiers to “explode or commit suicide before being captured.” Recently, a North Korean soldier shouted “General Kim Jong-un” when facing capture by the Ukrainian army, and tried to commit suicide with a grenade but was shot dead.
Regarding the whereabouts of the North Korean soldiers captured alive by Ukraine, the National Intelligence Service said that according to the South Korean Constitution, North Korean soldiers belong to South Korean citizens, and respecting their personal wishes is the most important thing. If the prisoners request to surrender to South Korea, South Korea will negotiate with Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said that Ukraine can use captured North Korean soldiers to exchange detained Ukrainian prisoners of war with Russia. He wrote in Korean on the social media platform X on the 12th: “Only if Kim Jong-un agrees to exchange North Korean soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners of war, we will be ready to return these soldiers to North Korea.”
According to the confessions of the captured soldiers, the North Korean authorities tried their best to conceal the fact that they sent troops to Russia. This means that North Korea may refuse any form of exchange dialogue. North Korea and Russia have not yet officially recognized the act of sending troops, and whether to give these soldiers the status of “prisoners of war” under international law has also caused controversy.
The Third Geneva Convention stipulates that prisoners of war should be treated humanely from the moment they are captured, should not be punished for participating in the war, and should be released or repatriated immediately after the end of the war. However, if the prisoners of war may face repression or human rights violations when they return to their home country, exceptions can be made to the repatriation obligation.
