VoA: Ukraine doubles down on psychological warfare against North Korean troops

Ukraine is intensifying its psychological warfare campaign targeting North Korean troops preparing to join Russian forces, with one surrender appeal video, VOA reports citing a high-ranking Ukrainian official. According to Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Combating Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council,“in the future, additional videos featuring North Koreans will be published.“

Russia has intensified military ties with North Korea since February 2022, securing ballistic missiles, and more than 2 million artillery rounds, with both countries signing a mutual defense pact in June. South Korea reported 3,000 North Korean troops training in Russia, with a planned increase to 10,000 by December. Ukraine confirmed initial units have arrived in the Kursk combat zone.

A Ukrainian video in Korean promotes a “new camp for North Korean POWs,” promising defectors warm, well-lit rooms with separate beds, along with three daily meals featuring meat, fresh vegetables, and bread:

The campaign may receive an additional boost after South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun announced that Seoul would send military observers to analyze North Korean troops on the battlefield.

“The North Koreans will undergo training in modern warfare and then be used in actual combat,” Kovalenko told VOA Ukrainian. “We are actively involved in identifying the individuals who have arrived and the units they are joining, as well as gathering evidence of their presence in Russia.”

Earlier this week, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to “intensify the intelligence and expertise exchange” and develop countermeasures, according to a statement from the Ukrainian presidential office.

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