On January 21, Ukrainian paratroopers revealed new details about the capture of one of two North Korean soldiers, who refused to let go of his sausage even at gunpoint and later attempted to self-harm by hitting his head against a concrete structure.
North Korea reportedly sent 12,000 troops to Russia’s Kursk border region in late October, to support Moscow’s military efforts following the Ukrainian incursion in August. Ukrainian President Zelensky previously said that around 4,000 North Korean troops had been killed or wounded, with recent battlefield losses potentially pushing that figure higher. Pyongyang’s troops lack modern military training and heavy equipment, while Ukrainian sources note that Russia uses North Koreans as “cannon fodder” in its human wave attacks.
In the video from Ukraine’s 95th Air Assault Brigade, soldiers disclosed details of the capture of two North Korean soldiers. Ukrainian soldier Pavlo said that after destroying the attacking North Korean troops, a drone operator spotted movement on the ground. When the Ukrainians approached the soldier, he was unresponsive in Ukrainian, Russian or English, and he was wearing a non-Ukrainian uniform. Soldiers used gestures to communicate.
“He had a grenade and a knife on his body armor, which he showed he was dropping. In his pouches was something red that we initially thought was a makeshift lighter. But when he took it out, it was a sausage – he indicated it was for eating… and he didn’t want to drop it, we let him keep it,” Pavlo said.
Another soldier, a paratrooper with the call sign Ded (grandfather), noted that the captured North Korean had injuries to his jaw and hand. Later, the captured soldier attempted to self-harm while being extracted. When an armored vehicle arrived for the evacuation, the captive suddenly ran and hit his head on a concrete pillar, rendering him unconscious, according to Ded.
Pavlo added that they were later informed via radio communication that the captured soldier had calmed down after receiving food and medical treatment and that they even requested romance films in Korean.
- Ukrainian soldiers from the 95th Brigade describe the capture of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. Screenshot: Facebook/95 окрема десантно-штурмова Поліська бригада ДШВ ЗСУ
North Korean tactics
In the video, Ukrainian soldier Serhii describes the North Koreans’ approach to the battlefield as reminiscent of early Russian tactics during the full-scale invasion – attempting to overwhelm them through sheer numbers without tactical sophistication. They fight like the Soviet army, carrying out frontal and massive human assaults. In contrast, the Russians have recently attacked in small groups, aiming to create and exploit minimal gains.
However, unlike the Russians, the North Koreans are actively trying to evacuate all their casualties from the battlefield, the soldiers noted.
Commenting on their video, the Brigade’s press service noted that Pyongyang soldiers generally avoid capture at all costs:
“It’s no secret that North Korean soldiers do not surrender, they are ready to commit suicide just to avoid being captured by Ukrainian soldiers.”
This is why Korean troops have suffered heavy losses, with only three captured by the Ukrainians so far, one later succumbing to his battle wounds.
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