On March 5th, South Korean ruling party National Power Party member Yoo Yong Won released a press statement disclosing that more than 3500 North Korean soldiers are undergoing adaptation training in the Russian Far East region, raising the possibility of North Korea sending troops to aid Russia for the third time.
Yoo, who recently visited Ukraine, shared details from a press conference held by the North Korean Army’s support for Russia, conducted by the Director of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Kirillo Budanov.
According to Yoo, the second deployment of North Korean troops numbered over 1500 individuals, who have undergone adaptation training and are now stationed near Kursk, Russia. Ukrainian intelligence reports indicate that as of February 26th, over 400 North Korean soldiers were killed and more than 3600 were wounded.
Yoo further mentioned that military supplies are being distributed by the Russian military, with instances reported where North Korean soldiers borrowed phones from Russian soldiers. Additionally, North Korean prisoners of war, when interrogated by Ukrainian authorities, revealed that their main objective is to gain experience in modern warfare through actual combat.
Previously, South Korean Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Chon Ha Gwi stated in a routine press conference that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s decision to send troops to aid Russia is a deceptive and inhumane act.
On March 4th, Yoo Yong Won publicly shared a recording of his conversations with two North Korean prisoners captured in Ukraine during a parliamentary press conference. In the recordings, one of the prisoners, Lee, expressed his desire to defect to South Korea. Lee stated that he wants to go to South Korea to reunite with his parents in the future.
South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials have also mentioned that if North Korean prisoners of war express the desire to defect to South Korea and make related requests, the South Korean government will accept all defectors in accordance with relevant principles and laws, providing them with necessary protection and support.