An international human rights organization has disclosed what it claims to be internal North Korean military documents obtained from soldiers fighting on the frontlines in Ukraine.
The documents reportedly emphasize loyalty to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and contain orders to conceal casualties during combat.
According to a report published on January 13 by the Human Rights Foundation’s (HRF) NK Insider, the document was allegedly recovered from the personal belongings of a North Korean soldier killed in battle near Kursk, Russia.
In an interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA), Seongmin Lee, HRF’s Korea director, stated, “Our foundation has been involved in various support activities related to Ukraine. Through these collaborations, we assisted Ukrainian special forces with translation work, which ultimately led to the acquisition of this document. It provides a rare glimpse into the internal situation of North Korean troops deployed to the frontlines.”
Among the personal belongings of the deceased soldier were two family photographs with the inscription, “This will be a beautiful memory! August 15, 2024,” suggesting they were taken shortly before deployment.
The report includes excerpts from a document titled “Combat Experiences and Lessons of the 94th Brigade,” indicating that North Korean soldiers continued to undergo ideological indoctrination even during combat.
The document reads, “If all front-line soldiers are prepared with strong ideology, conviction, and high combat morale, even enemies equipped with modern weaponry can be defeated through political and ideological superiority, as well as tactical advantage.”
Despite acknowledging the loss of several officers, including company and squad leaders, during a two-day operation, the document stresses the importance of sacrifice and unwavering commitment to Kim Jong-un’s commands.
The document also highlights specific instructions on maintaining command structure despite casualties, stating that injured or deceased commanders must immediately be replaced by other officers or non-commissioned officers to prevent any disruption in combat operations.
Additionally, it acknowledges the significant threat posed by Ukrainian drone strikes and artillery fire, urging the implementation of small-unit tactics to reduce losses.
“More than 10 incidents occurred where soldiers, ignoring enemy drone and artillery threats, approached without caution and were either wounded or killed by enemy fire,” the document states.
It continues, “In modern warfare involving real-time reconnaissance and drone strikes, failure to disperse into small combat teams (2-3 members) will result in heavy simultaneous casualties from enemy drones and artillery.”
The document also details operational challenges caused by poor coordination with Russian forces, which reportedly led to delays in evacuating wounded soldiers. It describes an incident where a delay in evacuation resulted in additional casualties.
“Although the Russian side was in charge of transferring them, it took over 10 hours for evacuation vehicles to arrive. The failure to evacuate the wounded promptly resulted in additional deaths during the evacuation process.”
BY YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]
