North Korean soldiers in Kursk were told they would be fighting against South Korea, according to the Wall Street Journal.

North Korean soldiers sent to the Kursk region of Russia to fight against Ukraine were reportedly informed that they would be battling South Koreans who are assisting Ukraine. This was revealed in an interview with The Wall Street Journal by two captured North Korean soldiers.

The two North Koreans, who were captured in January 2025, 21-year-old Bek and 26-year-old Ri, stated that they arrived in Russia in the fall of 2024 as part of a 12,000-strong contingent from North Korea. According to the captives, they were unaware that they were heading to Russia.

Bek reported that he was issued a military uniform, weapons, and a military ID in Russian – as it was printed in Cyrillic, he did not understand what it said. He mentioned that during the training sessions attended by the North Koreans, drones were used, and instruction was given by Russians with the help of Korean translators.

Bek stated that he only realized he had come to fight against Ukraine when he reached the front lines. The captive remarked that he "knew almost nothing about the war."

The second POW from North Korea, Ri, shared that the North Koreans in the Kursk region were ordered to avoid capture at all costs and were advised to commit suicide if there was a risk of being taken prisoner. If capture was imminent, the North Korean soldiers were instructed to detonate themselves, which was specifically mentioned during ideological training sessions.

Additionally, North Korean fighters listened to a New Year's greeting from the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, in which he expressed that he "misses his comrades." Some of the soldiers were forced to rewrite this greeting by hand.

The soldiers were captured on January 9, 2025 – on January 4, Bek sustained injuries and was unable to commit suicide as he was unconscious, and later he was found by Ukrainian servicemen; Ri was captured on his first "combat" day – according to him, he was the only survivor from his unit. Both men claimed they were informed about upcoming battles with South Korean troops allegedly fighting on Ukraine's side.

It is worth noting that these are the only prisoners of war from North Korea who have been captured by Ukrainian forces. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that capturing North Korean soldiers is challenging, as Russia is doing everything to conceal their involvement in the war against Ukraine. In particular, Russians "finish off" wounded soldiers. The captured North Koreans were provided with medical assistance and are being held under proper conditions.

During one of the interrogation videos, one captive expressed a desire to return to North Korea, while the other stated that he wanted to live in Ukraine. Earlier, Zelensky reported that the captives could only be returned to North Korea on the condition of a swap for Ukrainian soldiers held by Russia.