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Ukraine Captures Two Injured North Korean Soldiers in Kursk Amid 12,000 Troop Deployment

Jan 12, 2025, 07:52 AM

Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk region, marking the first time that North Korean prisoners of war have been taken in a condition suitable for interrogation. The soldiers, who were part of Russian forces, believed they were sent for training rather than combat. One of the soldiers, born in 2005 and enlisted in the North Korean military in 2021, stated he received a Russian military ID during a one-week training session in Russia in the fall of 2024. The other soldier, born in 1999, joined the North Korean army in 2016. Both soldiers are injured and are being treated in Kyiv, where they are being interrogated with the help of a Korean interpreter. Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence agencies are cooperating in the interrogation process. The capture of these soldiers sheds light on the deployment of approximately 12,000 North Korean troops to support Russian forces in the Kursk region, a move that has not been publicly acknowledged by Moscow or Pyongyang.