Photo: Facebook / Vladimir Zelensky
On 11 January 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine released important details of the interrogations of two North Korean soldiers who were captured during the war in Ukraine. These are the first North Koreans to be taken prisoner during the war, and their testimony sheds light on the DPRK’s involvement in the conflict on the side of Russia.
The prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, Russian or English, so all conversations with them are conducted through Korean interpreters with the help of South Korean intelligence. One of the soldiers had a Russian-type military ID issued in the name of another person registered in the Republic of Tuva, and the other had no documents at all.
Confirmation of the DPRK’s participation in the war
One of the prisoners, who had a military ID card, said that the document was issued to him in Russia in the autumn of 2024. He stated that some DPRK units had been training with Russian combat groups. According to his testimony, the North Koreans came “for training”, not to wage war against Ukraine.
The prisoner said that he was born in 2005 and has served in the DPRK since 2021 as a rifleman. Another prisoner, born in 1999, has been working as a sniper scout since 2016.
Medical care and investigation
After the detention, the prisoners were provided with the necessary medical care and taken to Kyiv for interrogation. The SBU is currently continuing investigations to find out more about North Korea’s role in the war.
This discovery confirms the DPRK’s involvement in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which adds new elements to the global context of the war and the interaction of different countries in this conflict.