[Editorial] Atrocities of war

South Korea must seek ways to ensure rights of North Korean soldiers in Russia-Ukraine war

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service on Monday confirmed the shocking facts and atrocities involving North Korean soldiers who were dispatched to fight Ukraine.

It is hard to fathom what those soldiers might have felt when they were ordered to fight on the battlefield. What’s certain is that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is playing a horribly dangerous game with North Korean people through the ongoing war initiated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

An interview video released by the Ukrainian government showed two wounded North Korean soldiers, who were captured in Russia’s Kursk border region Thursday and questioned about their intent by the Ukrainian authorities with the help of the NIS.

One, a fresh-faced 20-year-old, revealed a troubling fact. When asked who their commander claimed they were fighting, he replied that they had been told it was a “realistic training exercise.” Unwittingly lured into a warzone under the guise of training, the soldier had been unaware of the lethal peril he faced. When questioned about whether he wished to return to North Korea, he hesitated before asking, “Are all Ukrainians good people?” He then confessed a desire to remain in Ukraine -- a painful glimpse into the hardship of life in his homeland.

A second soldier, aged 26, was asked if his parents knew his current whereabouts. He shook his head. This showed the North Korean regime’s heartless disregard for transparency, even with the soldiers’ families, while it thrust young men into deadly conflicts without informing their loved ones.

The NIS told lawmakers Monday that more than 300 North Korean soldiers are estimated to have been killed in Russia’s war against Ukraine, with some 2,700 wounded.

Citing the NIS’ closed-door briefing, Rep. Lee Seong-kweun said Pyongyang is believed to have sent about 11,000 soldiers to help Russia in its war since October last year, and the soldiers were fighting across the entire Kursk region near the border with Ukraine. This is believed to be North Korea’s first large-scale military involvement since the 1950 Korean War.

Lee’s comment also implied that around a quarter of North Korean soldiers deployed to the war have been killed or wounded. An analysis by the NIS suggests that North Korean soldiers seemed to lack understanding of modern warfare like the use of drones, and they were used by the Russian forces as a tool. Memos retrieved from the battlefield reportedly revealed orders to commit suicide rather than be captured.

The NIS said the two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian authorities belong to the General Reconnaissance Bureau, and they were told by North Korean authorities that they would be treated as “heroes” for their role in the war.

The NIS confirmed that the two soldiers have not expressed a desire to seek asylum in South Korea, but it said it is open to discussions with Ukraine if they want to stay in Ukraine or defect to South Korea.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the capture of the North Korean soldiers Saturday. He said that one of the North Korean soldiers wishes to stay in Ukraine while the other wants to return to his country.

Zelenskyy said he is willing to hand over the soldiers to North Korea if the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, arranges for an exchange with Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia. But it is unclear whether Russia and North Korea would accept such a deal since neither Pyongyang nor Moscow has officially acknowledged the deployment.

Given that the casualties of North Korean soldiers are expected to rise, the government should seek ways to ensure their legal rights when they wish to defect, in close cooperation with the Ukraine authorities.