The combined image shows two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) held by Ukraine / Captured from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's X account
As attention focuses on the fate of the two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) held in Ukraine, questions arise over why there are so few captives from the reclusive state.
Pyongyang sent around 11,000 soldiers to fight with Russian forces in the invasion of Ukraine in late 2024. At least 6,000 of them reportedly died not long after they began fighting in Russia's Kursk region in December 2024, as North Korean soldiers were wholly unprepared for Ukrainian drones, according to Ukrainian military and intelligence officials.
Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) stated that North Korean troops were stationed in Kursk and continued to launch attacks on the Ukrainian border as of last month. The agency also said the North Korean soldiers are rotated regularly and around 3,000 have returned to North Korea to pass on skills they acquired on the battlefield.
Currently, there are only two known North Korean POWs. In January 2025, Ukrainian authorities unveiled a video of the two captives, and South Korean broadcaster MBC's "PD Notebook" program was able to interview them last month.
Why are North Korean soldiers different?
The rare "PD Notebook" interview has shed light on the North's indoctrination of its soldiers, enabling them to fight "fearlessly" and even take their own lives when faced with capture.
During the program, Ukrainian military officers said that North Korean soldiers keep advancing even under gunfire.
“Our instructors compared us to the North Korean soldiers and pointed out how we were doing things wrong, referring to the North Korean soldiers as a model,” a Russian POW identified as Mikhail said, recalling training sessions in an interview at a POW facility in Ukraine.
The North Korean soldiers stated they were alive against their will, unable to take their lives before being captured due to severe injuries.
Source: Korea Times News
