By 
14-02-2025
Marco Resconi
South East Asia Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defence
Despite North Korea’s long history of human rights violations over the years, certain humanitarian law violations have been brought to international attention since North Korean military troops were deployed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Why are North Korean troops being deployed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict?
North Korea sent its troops to fight for Russia after Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a bilateral security and defence treaty that forced the Asian dictatorship to provide soldiers and weapons to the Russian military to be deployed primarily in the Kursk region, the Russian region occupied by the Ukrainian army in its counter-offensive in summer 2024. In exchange for military aid, North Korea expects to receive access to sophisticated Russian satellite technology and funding programmes for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes (Ng, 2024).
According to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, the North Korean troops have been intermittently deployed since December 2024. After what seemed to be a withdrawal in January 2025, they returned at the beginning of February (Lukiv, 2025).
Characteristics of the North Korean troops fighting in Russia
In January, Western officials told the BBC that North Korea is believed to have sent 11,000 troops to fight in Russia. Among them, 1,000 have been reported dead. Reports say that these troops are used mostly in infantry roles and always in Russian territory. Furthermore, the majority of North Korean troops are from the 11th Corps, or Storm Corps, an elite unit trained in infiltration, infrastructure sabotage, and assassinations whose soldiers are trained to endure high physical pain and psychological torture. Nonetheless, due to their lack of experience with modern warfare, North Korean soldiers have been described as “thoroughly indoctrinated but with low readiness”, and they have received little to no help or protection while fighting in Russia, where they are led by Russian officials they can’t understand (Gardner, 2025). The language barrier between Russian troops and North Korean ones has created horrific situations, such as the two countries’ troops shooting against each other (Il Post, 2025).
Concerns have also been raised about the situation of some North Korean soldiers who were sent to Russia with the excuse of a “training exercise” and, thus, were unfit to combat (McCurry, 2025).
Are North Korean troops killing themselves?
Most of the 1,000 casualties suffered by the Korean army have raised suspicions. According to news coming from South Korea, certain notes have been found on the corpses of North Korean soldiers, encouraging them to take their lives rather than be taken prisoners. Namely, it has been reported that North Korean soldiers prefer to kill themselves with grenades rather than become prisoners, fearing reprisals on their families living under the dictatorship.
Reports from Ukrainian soldiers highlight how Korean troops appear to have been brainwashed, as when they are under attack, they don’t seek shelter but throw themselves to the enemy’s fire.
Conclusion
The horrific images described shed some light on the cruel dictatorship of North Korea. Often, Western nations hear about North Korea’s dictatorship and its horrors but don’t pay too much attention to it due to the distance between Europe and North Korea. With North Korean soldiers fighting with Russia against Ukraine, it is the first time that Western nations have seen the desperation of North Korean people who would choose to end their lives rather than become prisoners, thus subjecting their families to shame, torture, and possibly death. Among the many authoritarian states in the world, North Korea is one of the most violent and repressive, and it is important to highlight the country’s situation when there is a chance.
Sources and further reading:
Il Post. (2025, January 28). Come combattono I soldati nordcoreani in Russia. Il Post. <https://www.ilpost.it/2025/01/28/come-combattono-soldati-corea-del-nord-russia-kursk/> accessed 13 February 2025.
Frank Gardner. (2025, January 22). About 1,000 North Koreans killed fighting Ukraine in Kursk, officials say. BBC. <https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87djeezjxeo> accessed 13 February 2025.
Lukiv Jaroslav. (2025, February 7). Zelensky says North Korean troops back on front line BBC. <https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cednp7q41l2o> accessed 14 February 2025.
Justin McCurry. (2025, February 7). Russia withdraws North Korean troops in Kursk after losses, Seoul says. The Guardian. <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/07/russia-withdraws-north-korea-troops-kursk-deaths-ukraine-war?utm> accessed 14 February 2025.
Kelly Ng. (2024, December 24). What we know about North Korean troops fighting Russia’s war. BBC. <https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2796pdm1lo> accessed 14 February 2025.
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