Ukrainian Special Forces Reveal North Korean Soldier’s Belongings, “Wishing my closest comrade good health”
Birthday message for a fellow soldier written on the 9th
Unprepared for drones… Used as cannon fodder by Russians,
A handwritten letter from a North Korean soldier, revealed by the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces on the 24th (local time). It was found on the body of a North Korean soldier killed in the fierce fighting in Kursk, Russia, and is believed to have been written on the 9th. Captured from Ukrainian Special Operations Forces Facebook,
,
, ‘”Missing Joseon, having left the warm embrace of dear parents, meeting birthday here on Russian soil…”’,
,
, ‘The Ukrainian Special Operations Forces shared a crumpled handwritten letter they found on the body of a North Korean soldier they killed in the Kursk region of Russia. The letter, seemingly written with a pen, reads: “As I celebrate the birth of my closest comrade Song Ji Myung… I genuinely hope for your good health and offer my birthday wishes. December 9, 2024.” As the date on the letter is the recent 9th, it is presumed to be a letter written to celebrate a fellow soldier’s birthday, which went undelivered or was a draft.’,
,
, ‘ MobileAdNew center ‘,
,
, ‘The Special Operations Forces stated, “This is part of the decoded sections from a seized notebook,” adding that “translations of other sections of the notebook are underway, and more information will be released.” They also warned, “If you dig trenches holding machine guns on foreign soil instead of hosting a party to celebrate your friend’s birthday, the cake with candles will turn into 5.56 caliber Ukrainian lead bullets.”‘,
,
, ‘On the same day, the Special Operations Forces also released images of the North Korean soldier’s body, along with a photo of his ID. The name written on the signature line was ‘Jung Kyung Hong’ and, like the IDs of three North Korean soldiers (Ban Guk Jin, Lee Dae Hyuk, Cho Chul Ho) revealed by the Ukrainian military two days prior, it also had a Russian name. The absence of a photo and issuing agency stamp was similar.’,
,
,
Body and ID of the North Korean soldier presumed to have written the letter. The name ‘Jung Kyung Hong’ is written in Hangul. Captured from Ukrainian Special Operations Forces Facebook,
,
, ‘ MobileAdNew center ‘, ‘As the war in Ukraine, instigated by Russia’s invasion, persists into its third year, Ukraine unexpectedly crossed the border in August this year, at one point occupying over 1,000 square kilometers in Kursk. Russia is conducting operations to repel Ukrainian forces from Kursk. It is estimated that the majority of the approximately 11,000 North Korean troops deployed by Russia are stationed in this region.’,
,
, ‘Ukrainian and Western intelligence agencies believe that the North Korean troops are suffering increasing casualties since being deployed in battles starting this month. Particularly, North Korean soldiers are reported to be unprepared for open-field battles and lethal drones, and are being used as Russian “cannon fodder.”‘,
,
, ‘Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) the previous day that “the number of North Korean soldiers killed or injured in the Kursk area has already exceeded 3,000.”