A North Korean soldier abducted by Ukrainian forces has died, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing a statement from South Korea’s intelligence agency.
The soldier is believed to be the first North Korean prisoner to be captured since Pyongyang sent troops to support Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said it had confirmed through the “intelligence unit” that the soldier died of “severe injuries,” Yonhap reported.
North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to help Russia, according to Kyiv and Seoul – although Moscow and Pyongyang have neither confirmed nor denied their presence.
The intelligence agency previously confirmed that the Ukrainian army arrested a soldier after a photo that showed the man was circulating on Telegram.
“This is the first in a series of kidnappings and killings,” Yang Uk, a researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, told the BBC. “For the Ukrainians, it is very beneficial to capture these North Korean soldiers and try to exchange them with the Russians for Ukrainian prisoners of war.”
The latest images from the Russia-Ukraine war confirmed the speculation that “North Korean troops will be deployed in large numbers in the attack of the Russian command”, said Mr. Yang.
He added however that “it will be a challenge to show their North Korean nationality”.
The Ukrainian military says North Korean soldiers have been given fake Russian IDs, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week posted photos showing Russian soldiers burning the faces of North Koreans killed to hide their identities.
Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence said many of the soldiers sent to Russia were among Pyongyang’s best, drawn from the 11th Corps, also known as the Storm Corps. This unit is trained in infiltration, infrastructure destruction and assassination.
More than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded during the fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, Zelensky said Monday.
He added that cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang increases the “risk of deterioration” around the Korean peninsula.
Russia has launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The recent deployment of North Korean troops to Russia is a sign of the growing alliance between the two states.
The development, which comes as North Korea eases tensions with South Korea, has raised concerns in the West. China, a long-time ally of both sides, is also keeping a watchful eye on friendship.
Additional reporting by Jake Kwon
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