This screenshot, shared on the Telegram channel of Ukraine’s special forces on Dec. 22, 2024, shows an ID the military claims to have been carried by a killed North Korean soldier. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Ukraine’s military unveiled what it claimed were false identification documents carried by North Korean troops killed in the war with Russia, a report showed, amid Kyiv’s claim that Russia is trying to conceal the presence of North Korean soldiers.
Citing images shared on the Telegram channel of Ukraine’s special forces, RBC Ukraine reported Sunday (local time) that three North Korean soldiers killed in Russia’s western Kursk region carried what appeared to be military identification documents signed with Korean signatures.
The report claimed that the documents bore Russian names and listed the holders’ birthplace as the Republic of Tuva, the birthplace of former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
They did not carry portraits of the owners or official stamps, and only included signatures in Korean script, apparently written with pens different from those used in other parts.
“The real names of the killed North Koreans are Ban Gook-jin, Lee Dae-hyuk, and Cho Chul-ho. According to Russian documents, they are Kim Kahn Solat Albertovich, Dongnk Jan Suropovich, and Beljek Aganak Kap-oolovic,” it said, citing a statement by Kyiv’s special forces.
Ukraine’s military was quoted as saying that the latest case “once again confirms that Russia is resorting to any methods to hide its losses on the battlefield, as well as to conceal the presence of foreign troops.”
In a separate report, the Ukrainian media outlet reported that Russian soldiers appeared to be unhappy about fighting alongside North Korean troops and described them as “insolent.”
Citing footage of Russian soldiers being interrogated by the Ukrainian military, the outlet said Russian soldiers complained about language and communication issues with North Korean troops, accusing them of carelessly using weapons to shoot at drones or troops on the Russian side.
“To be honest, the farther away from the Koreans, the calmer it is … They shoot at quadcopters during the day, at FPV (first person view drones), at anything that flies. It doesn’t matter if it’s Russian or Ukrainian FPV. They even shoot them down,” a prisoner said.
The report said North Korean troops, located separately from Russian soldiers, entered the battleground ahead of Russian troops.
Last week, South Korea’s spy agency said at least 100 North Korean troops dispatched to Russia for combat in Ukraine were killed and the number of injured North Korean troops was estimated to reach some 1,000.
A Pentagon spokesperson also said the United States believes that North Korea has suffered “several hundred” troop casualties, noting that the figure could go up.
(Yonhap)
