North Korean Trooper Held by Ukraine Claims He Was Misled About Purpose of Deployment: Kyiv
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Seoul, Jan 12 (NationPress) One of the two North Korean soldiers taken captive by Ukraine reported in an interrogation that he was under the impression he was heading for training, rather than participating in the ongoing conflict against Ukraine, as stated by Kyiv's security agency.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine had detained two injured North Korean soldiers in Russia's western Kursk region, and that investigators were conducting inquiries with them.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) indicated that the two soldiers, both reportedly in their 20s, were questioned through Korean interpreters in collaboration with South Korea's National Intelligence Service since they are not fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, or English, according to reports from Yonhap news agency.
The agency reported that one of the soldiers possessed a Russian military identification card issued under a different name registered in Russia. This soldier claimed he received the document last autumn when some North Korean units participated in a week-long training exercise alongside Russian forces.
"It is significant that the captive ... insists that he was reportedly going for training, not to engage in combat against Ukraine," the SBU noted in a statement.
The North Korean soldier carrying the Russian military ID revealed he was born in 2005 and has been enlisted in the North Korean armed forces since 2021. The second soldier, born in 1999, has reportedly served since 2016 as a scout sniper, as per preliminary findings by the SBU.
The SBU also shared video footage that appeared to show the two captured individuals, both bandaged due to visible injuries.
"Immediately following their capture, the foreigners received all necessary medical assistance," it stated. "They are being held under appropriate conditions that comply with international law standards."
Reports indicate that North Korea has dispatched approximately 11,000 troops to aid Russia in its conflict against Ukraine, according to South Korean officials.
