More than 220 North Korean soldiers, who were deployed to the western Russian region of Kursk, have been transferred to a hospital in Moscow after sustaining injuries, according to Ukraine’s security authorities.
On December 18, the Kyiv Independent reported that Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) intercepted a phone call between a nurse working at a Moscow hospital and her husband, a Russian soldier stationed in the contested Kursk region.
During the call, the nurse stated, “We transferred wounded soldiers (North Koreans) from a train that came from Kursk to the hospital. Yesterday, there were 100 of them, and today another 120 arrived, bringing the total to around 220. No one knows how many more will come.”
She added that hospital wards were cleared to make room for the North Korean soldiers, expressing frustration by saying, “Are they some sort of elite? Why are they being given special treatment?”
The nurse also made several racially charged remarks. She complained, “They all look the same, so it’s impossible to tell them apart. Should we mark their foreheads?” She went on to say, “They have wristbands with numbers on them like in a zoo.”
The nurse revealed the language barrier between the medical staff and the North Korean soldiers, stating, “How are we supposed to know if they need painkillers? I guess if they scream, it means they’re in pain. Damn it.”
She also mentioned that the soldiers had no knowledge of Russian, and even attempts to use translation devices resulted in miscommunication. “They just mumble, and it’s driving me crazy,” she said.
The nurse also touched on an unusual language policy, stating that English is banned at the hospital. She explained, “North Korea is our ally, and since South Korea is an ally of the U.S., which is an English-speaking country, the use of English is prohibited.”
She criticized the situation, saying, “It makes no sense to deal with hundreds of North Korean patients while being unable to communicate with them.”
The Kyiv Independent noted that it could not verify the authenticity of the phone call or determine when it took place. However, increasing evidence suggests significant casualties among North Korean forces in the region.
On December 19, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported to lawmakers during a closed-door briefing that at least 100 North Korean soldiers had died and over 1,000 had been injured on the frontlines in Ukraine. This aligns with a report from Reuters on December 17, which cited a senior U.S. military official who confirmed that “hundreds of North Korean casualties” had occurred in Kursk.
The NIS also raised concerns about the possibility of further deployments of North Korean troops to the Russian front. Intelligence suggests that North Korea’s elite “Storm Corps” may face additional troop conscriptions. Furthermore, signs of training preparations overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have been detected, according to the NIS.
BY JIHYE KIM, YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]
