An injured North Korean soldier captured by Ukrainian forces has died, Yonhap Information Company has reported, citing an announcement from South Korea’s spy company.
The soldier is believed to be the primary North Korean prisoner of conflict captured since Pyongyang deployed forces to help Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.
South Korea’s Nationwide Intelligence Service mentioned it had confirmed by way of an “allied intelligence company” that the soldier had died from “critical accidents”, Yonhap reported.
North Korea has despatched greater than 10,000 troopers to assist Russia, based on Kyiv and Seoul – although Moscow and Pyongyang have neither confirmed nor denied their presence.
The spy company earlier confirmed that Ukrainian forces had captured the soldier after a photograph purporting to indicate the person had been circulating on Telegram.
“That is the primary in a string of captures and killings,” Yang Uk, a analysis fellow on the Asan Institute for Coverage Research, advised the BBC. “For Ukrainians, it is extra helpful to seize these North Korean troops and attempt to trade them with Russians for Ukrainian prisoners of conflict.”
Latest pictures rising from the Russia-Ukraine conflict confirmed speculations that “North Korean troops will probably be deployed in giant numbers to the assault by Russian command”, Mr Yang mentioned.
He additionally added, nonetheless, that “will probably be difficult to show their North Korean nationality”.
Ukrainian forces say that North Korean troopers have been issued with pretend Russian IDs, whereas Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted footage final week which he mentioned confirmed Russian troops burning the faces of slain North Koreans to hide their identities.
Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence providers have mentioned that lots of the troops deployed to Russia are a few of Pyongyang’s greatest, drawn from the eleventh Corps, often known as the Storm Corps. The unit is skilled in infiltration, infrastructure sabotage and assassinations.
Greater than 3,000 North Korean troops have died or been wounded whereas preventing in Russia’s Kursk area, Zelensky mentioned Monday.
He added that the collaboration between Moscow and Pyongyang heightened the “danger of destabilisation” across the Korean peninsula.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The latest deployment of North Korean troops to Russia is an indication of a rising alliance between the 2 pariah states.
The event, which comes as North Korea ratchets up tensions with South Korea, has sparked worries within the West. China, a long-standing ally of either side, can also be keeping a cautious eye on the friendship.
Further reporting by Jake Kwon
