North Korean soldiers on the front in Ukraine are de facto sent to death. The United States estimates that more than 12,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia to support Vladimir Putin's forces in the war in Ukraine.
They'd alternatively take their own lives than be captured. That's how they want to defend their families. Regime Kim Jong Una provides for 3 types of penalties.
According to the source, so far more than 300 soldiers were killed and 2,700 wounded. However, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenski said that 4,000 North Koreans were killed or injured in the war. Although the government denies any involvement, South Korean and Ukrainian sources confirm the presence of these soldiers on the Ukrainian front.
First time Ukraine captured 2 North Korean soldiers alive. 1 prisoner said he was unaware that he was fighting against Ukraine and did not want to return to his country.
Executions of captured soldiers and their families
Ryu Seong-hyeon, a erstwhile Sergeant of the North Korean Army and a fugitive to South Korea, reveals that North Korean soldiers are trained to commit suicide to avoid capture and retaliation against their loved ones. ‘Most soldiers commit suicide before they are killed by the enemy, it is the top shame to be captured” says Ryu in a conversation with ABC News.
The soldiers heard Ryu explain that their families would be lost if they were captured alive.
“ Says another North Korean refugee, Pak Yusung, according to the quoted source.
North Korean soldiers are poorly trained and unprepared for modern technologies on the battlefield, including Ukrainian drones.
“Before leaving, they have no practice of defending themselves against the drone or how to fight the Ukrainians, so they die like dogs. They have no essential skills, language or information," Ryu explains.
Kim Jong Un swaps soldiers for military technology
Analysis of South Korean intelligence suggests that Pyongyang sends his troops in exchange for advanced technology from Russiawhich could pose a global threat.
The escapees that ABC News spoke to uncover that North Korean soldiers were offered financial incentives to fight in Ukraine. In addition, the regime's propaganda in Pjongjang presented the conflict as an chance to fight American "wolves".
“If I went to Ukraine, I could eat food and see another country,” Ryu notes. He adds that many soldiers do not realize the large hazard of dying in combat. Pak Yusung, who presently works as a investigator at the North Korean Institute, warns that Pjongjangu's engagement in Ukraine's conflict may have serious consequences.
"If Russia wins the war, it will strengthen the dictators' alliance," he stressed in an interview with ABC News.
explains Pak Yusung.
Pak and his squad of North Korean refugees, Voices of North Korean Youth, call on the global community to condemn the actions of Russia and North Korea. They besides call on the global Criminal Court to hold North Korean leader Kim Jong Un liable for involving his country in the conflict in Ukraine.
