Alarm in Seoul over North Korea sending 3,500 more suicide-ready troops to Ukraine war

The psychological warfare to urge North Korean soldiers to surrender in battle has had little effect, according to Ukrainian intelligence

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meets soldiers during a visit to a training base. Photo: AP

Published: 8:00am, 6 Mar 2025Updated: 9:52am, 6 Mar 2025

Reports of more North Korean troops training for deployment in the Ukraine war have raised alarm in Seoul, with intelligence suggesting many of the soldiers sent by Pyongyang are willing to kill themselves rather than be captured in battle.

Yu Yong-weon, a South Korean lawmaker with the ruling People Power Party, said on Wednesday that 3,500 additional North Korean soldiers were undergoing training in Russia’s Far East.

This follows the deployment of a second batch of 1,500 North Korean troops in January and February to replace those killed or wounded among the 11,000 initially sent in October to the western Russian city of Kursk, according to Yu.

“About 3,500 North Korean soldiers are undergoing field adaptation training in five different locations in Russia’s Far East, and there is a possibility of a third deployment,” Yu told reporters.

Yu said the information came from a briefing by Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine’s defence intelligence, which he received during his trip to Ukraine from February 23 to 26.

About 400 North Korean troops had been killed in action so far, Yu said. Of the 3,600 North Koreans who were wounded, 300 returned to the front lines after their recovery, he added.