First captured North Korean soldier in Ukraine dies from injuries, Seoul says

A North Korean soldier captured by Ukrainian forces has died from worsening wounds, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed on 27 December. If was the first documented instance of Ukraine capturing a North Korean soldier engaged in combat operations.

According to Ukraine, South Korean, and the US, approximately 10,000-12,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia to fight against Ukraine, with indicators suggesting preparations for additional troop and military equipment deployments. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently stated that North Korea has sustained over 3,000 casualties in Kursk Oblast.

Yonhap cited a statement by the NIS:

“We confirmed through a friendly nation’s intelligence organization that a North Korean soldier, captured alive on 26 December, died a short while ago as his wounds worsened.”

On 26 December, Ukrainian military Telegram channels reported the capture of the North Korean soldier. According to Ukraine’s military-focused news outlet Militarnyi, Ukrainian Special Operations Forces captured him during operations in Russia’s western front-line region of Kursk. The exact date of the capture operation was not specified.

A photograph of the reportedly captured North Korean soldier circulated on Telegram, showing the fighter with apparent injuries. The specific details about the soldier’s condition remained undisclosed.

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