Seoul intelligence unmasks identities of first North Korean POWs in Ukraine, points to their weak spot

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) identified that two North Korean soldiers recently captured by Ukrainians in Russia’s Kursk Oblast worked for North Korea’s military intelligence agency, according to Yonhap news.

This comes as Ukrainian forces have captured two wounded soldiers – the first such confirmed captives from North Korea in the war. The individuals were transferred to Kyiv for questioning by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). Due to language barriers, as the captives speak neither Ukrainian, English, nor Russian, investigators are working with Korean interpreters and South Korean intelligence officials to facilitate communication. During interviews, both soldiers claimed they believed they were traveling to Russia for training exercises, not for combat against Ukraine.

In Russia’s Kursk Oblast, some 12,000 North Korean troops have been fighting alongside Russia since November 2024. Earlier, President Zelenskyy stated that North Korean military units suffered approximately 3,800 casualties so far. 

NIS identified the two captured North Korean soldiers as members of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, North Korea’s military intelligence agency.

NIS also reported that 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed and 2,700 wounded while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, according to Yonhap news agency.

According to the NIS, the high casualty rate stems from the soldiers’ insufficient grasp of modern warfare tactics, including ineffective attempts to engage long-range drones, based on analysis of recent combat footage.

The NIS also revealed that North Korean forces have been instructed to commit suicide rather than face capture by Ukrainian forces. 

Ukrainian authorities indicated their willingness to repatriate the North Korean soldiers on the condition that North Korea assists in arranging an exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war.

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