Sun Jan 12 03:34:31 UTC 2025: **South Korea Confirms Capture of North Korean Soldiers Fighting in Ukraine**
Seoul, South Korea – South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has confirmed reports that two wounded North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia this week. This corroborates earlier Ukrainian intelligence reports and adds weight to accusations that North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to aid Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
The NIS statement, released Sunday, January 12th, 2025, confirmed the capture of the soldiers on January 9th in the Kursk region of Russia. One soldier reportedly stated he was initially told he was going for training but realized upon arrival that he was deployed to fight. He also revealed significant losses among North Korean forces, including casualties resulting from Ukrainian missile and drone strikes and training accidents. The NIS noted one soldier went without food or water for four to five days before capture.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) previously released a video showing the two captured soldiers in a hospital, one with injuries to his hands and the other to his jaw. While Kyiv did not initially provide concrete proof of their nationality, South Korea’s confirmation lends significant credibility to the claims.
The NIS intends to continue cooperating with the SBU to share information regarding North Korean involvement in the conflict. Neither Russia nor North Korea has commented on these reports. Estimates of North Korean casualties vary, with Ukraine claiming nearly 3,000 and South Korea estimating around 1,000. South Korean military officials also report that Pyongyang is preparing additional deployments to Ukraine.
The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea since the start of the war in February 2022 has been a source of growing international concern. Both leaders, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, have publicly expressed a strong relationship. In a recent New Year’s message, Kim Jong Un alluded to the war, predicting a Russian victory over “neo-Nazism” in 2025.
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