On January 20, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared on his various channels a new interview with one of the two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) captured this month. This testimony is significant for developing a deeper understanding of the secretive military collaboration between Pyongyang and Moscow, and – most importantly – to shed light on the human cost and geopolitical implications of this alliance.
Hidden Deployment
The POW’s testimony reinforces the idea that Kim Jong Un’s regime might be domestically downplaying the deployment of North Korean troops to Ukraine. The soldier reiterated in this interview that he had no prior knowledge that he was being sent to fight in Ukraine, a claim consistent with his earlier statements. Moreover, when asked whether his family knew about his whereabouts he noted that they are currently unaware.
This could simply be ascribed to North Korea’s standard conscription practices: male conscripts typically serve for 11 years, during which contact with family is limited. Hence, it is fairly common not to see or hear from a drafted relative for extended periods of time. However, the secrecy surrounding this specific deployment could suggest that the North Korean people are kept in the dark about the mobilization of troops to Russia. This might indicate that Kim Jong Un may be avoiding public acknowledgment of this arrangement to prevent domestic discontent.
Notably, state propaganda up to this point glorified the North Korea-Russia partnership, but it has omitted mentions of troop deployment. Sending soldiers to die in a foreign war risks backlash from the population and could challenge the Juche narrative of self-reliance. Integrating this deployment into the regime’s ideological framework may require careful formulation to avoid sparking public dissent.
Simultaneously, the conditions of the soldier’s transport to Russia – aboard a non-military vessel with 100 other soldiers – highlight Moscow’s efforts to conceal this collaboration. Such secrecy likely stems from concerns over international backlash and the Kremlin’s reluctance to admit its reliance on foreign conscripts. Notably, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet officially confirmed these deployments, different pro-Russia sources have acknowledged them. For instance, different Telegram channels owned by supposed “war correspondents” reported fierce North Korean involvement in recapturing a village situated in the Kursk region. Although such claims warrant scrutiny, they correlate with documented changes on the DeepStateMAP, a live conflict tracker.
“Elite” Troops
Narratives and statements surrounding the North Korean elite Storm Corps and their spearheading of war operations were greatly challenged by this POW’s testimony. While the interviewee identified himself as part of a reconnaissance battalion, his account highlights a critical point: He received no special training prior to deployment, indicating that the soldiers involved in such operations are either ill-prepared or not elite troops at all. This undermines claims about the Storm Corps’ proficiency on the battlefield, and underscores their grave shortcomings in modern warfare tactics. Allegations from Ukrainian Special Forces that North Korean soldiers are employing kamikaze-like tactics, as well as letters retrieved on the bodies of those who fell in action further suggest that these fighters are not well-prepared for the complexities of contemporary combat.
Alleged high casualty rates among North Korean ranks validate this assessment. Instead of showcasing highly trained personnel, it appears that North Korean fighters are poorly equipped conscripts sent to the frontlines and treated as expandable cannon fodder. This also reflects North Korea’s dehumanizing approach of exploiting its soldiers for geopolitical aims, often at the expense of their readiness for actual combat, further corroborating speculations about the Storm Corps’ lack of effective training and battlefield competence.
The Human Cost of the North Korea-Russia Collaboration
This interview also raises pressing questions about the treatment and exploitation of North Korean forces deployed to Ukraine. The soldier confirmed that he is conscripted rather than contracted. According to North Korea’s standard practice, conscripts earn little to nothing – wages are usually as low as $2 per month. Similarly, historical accounts suggest that civilian overseas workers typically retain only 15 percent of their salaries, with the remainder ending up in the pockets of the regime. This implies that North Korean soldiers in Ukraine might receive only a fraction – or none – of the $2,000 per soldier reportedly promised by Russia.
Moreover, a common practice like sending money home could risk domestically revealing their deployment, exposing the covert arrangement, and potentially triggering domestic dissent. That’s an additional reason, along with Pyongyang’s dire need of foreign currency, to believe that it is in the regime’s best interest to retain as much of the money earned by its soldiers as possible.
Further, the conditions of their deployment, including the soldier’s description of 100 men sharing six beds while being transported from North Korea to Russia, highlight severe human rights abuses by both North Korea and Russia.
Ukraine’s PR campaign featuring the captured North Koreans also warrants scrutiny, as revealing the identities of POWs violates the Geneva Conventions unless there are compelling reasons to do so. While it is true that Ukraine’s actions may be legal under international law, since this exposure serves to overtly uncover North Korea’s involvement in the war, it still poses significant risks. Divulging their identities exposes the soldiers and their families to the real risk of arrest or execution. Considering Kyiv’s willingness to exchange these POWs with Ukrainian prisoners and the interviewee’s expressed desire to stay in Ukraine, if returned to North Korea his vulnerability to prosecution and imprisonment would increase dramatically.
Geopolitically, the arrangement underscores the transactional nature of the North Korea-Russia alliance. For Pyongyang, it offers crucial foreign revenue and strengthened ties with Moscow, from which it seeks advanced military and space technology. For Russia, the use of North Korean conscripts provides dispensable manpower, sparing Russian soldiers and mitigating domestic discontent while securing a numerical advantage on the battlefield.
The POW’s testimonies so far have provided a rare glimpse into the murky military collaboration between North Korea and Russia, confirming theories raised in recent months while also raising new questions. The future of North Korean individuals captured by Ukraine brings attention to the complex ethical issues surrounding modern warfare, and their presence in this war reflects a strategic approach where soldiers are viewed as an expendable resource to achieve geopolitical objectives.
