Ukraine Captures Injured North Korean Soldier, First Since December Deployment
Ukrainian forces have captured a wounded North Korean soldier, the first such incident since Pyongyang deployed troops to support Russia‘s war against Ukraine in December, South Korea‘s intelligence agency confirmed on Friday. The soldier later succumbed to his injuries.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea stated that a North Korean soldier was taken prisoner after being wounded in combat. The soldier’s death was later reported by Yonhap News Agency, citing unidentified sources.
The capture was confirmed by Seoul following the emergence of a photograph on social media purporting to show the injured soldier. Ukrainian authorities have not officially commented on the image’s authenticity.
An unidentified source from South Korea’s intelligence agency told AFP that the soldier was indeed captured by Ukrainian forces, although the location of the incident remains unknown.
Both Kyiv and Seoul have reported that North Korea has sent over 10,000 troops to aid Russia, but both Moscow and Pyongyang have neither confirmed nor denied their presence.
"For Ukraine, it’s beneficial to capture these North Korean soldiers and try to exchange them with Russia for Ukrainian prisoners," said Yan Uk, an analyst at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, in an interview with BBC.
Recent footage from the Russia-Ukraine war has suggested that North Korean troops are being deployed in large numbers. However, proving their North Korean citizenship may prove challenging, Uk added.
Ukrainian forces claim that North Korean soldiers were issued fake Russian ID cards, while President Volodymyr Zelensky shared footage last week allegedly showing Russian soldiers burning the faces of deceased North Korean soldiers to conceal their identities.
Both Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence services have reported that many of the deployed soldiers are elite troops from North Korea’s 11th Corps, also known as the "Storm Corps."
President Zelensky claimed on Monday that over 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in battles in Russia’s Kursk region.
Ukraine launched its offensive in the Kursk region on August 6. During his annual "Direct Line" event in December, Russian President Vladimir Putin refrained from specifying when Russia might retake the captured territory, citing military tactical considerations.
Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The developments, unfolding amidst escalating tensions between North and South Korea, have sparked concern in the West. China, a longstanding ally of both sides, also watches the Moscow-Pyongyang friendship warily.
