North Korean Military Casualties Reach 3,000... NIS Reports "Forced Self-Destruction Before Capture"

NIS Obtains POW Testimonies... Reports to National Assembly Intelligence Committee
"Notes from Fallen Soldiers Reveal Orders to Self-Destruct Before Capture"
"Trump May Attempt a 'Small Deal' Such as Nuclear Arms Reduction"

Intelligence authorities have determined that North Korea issued orders to soldiers deployed to the Russian battlefield to "self-destruct before becoming prisoners of war." It has been confirmed that there was a case where a soldier, facing imminent capture, took out a grenade and attempted to self-destruct while shouting the name of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, but was shot dead.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported this information at the National Assembly Intelligence Committee plenary meeting held on the 13th, according to the committee's ruling and opposition party secretaries. The self-destruction and suicide orders were found in notes carried by deceased soldiers, which also vaguely mentioned soldiers hoping for admission to the Workers' Party or amnesty.

The image of the North Korean soldier whom Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced was captured on the 11th (local time). Zelenskyy Ex

According to the NIS, the area where the deployed North Korean troops are engaged in combat is expanding to the entire Kursk region, with estimated casualties exceeding 3,000. Approximately 300 are dead and about 2,700 wounded.

The NIS obtained testimonies from two recently captured North Korean prisoners of war through cooperation with Ukrainian intelligence authorities. It was confirmed that North Korean authorities sent soldiers to the battlefield under the condition of being treated as "heroes," without any promise of deployment pay. The surviving prisoners stated during interrogation by Ukrainian authorities that they initially believed they were being moved for training but realized they were being deployed to combat only after arriving locally.

Furthermore, these prisoners were confirmed to be combatants belonging to the Reconnaissance General Bureau. While the Geneva Conventions stipulate that prisoners of war should be repatriated to their home country, the NIS policy is to negotiate final arrangements with Ukraine if the prisoners express a desire to defect to South Korea. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed plans to exchange these prisoners with Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russia.

The NIS explained, "Despite North Korean authorities' silence, news of the deployment is quietly spreading internally," adding that families of deployed soldiers express self-deprecating fear, referring to them as 'Daepobap' (cannon fodder). It also reported that residents with no vested interests showed mixed reactions, some hoping for Russian support or improvements in livelihoods.

Externally, the NIS predicted that North Korea will focus on securing reciprocal benefits through additional support and troop deployments to Russia for the time being, and is weighing Supreme Leader Kim’s visit to Russia within the first half of this year. North Korea is seeking Russian support in military and economic fields in exchange for the deployment.

Donald Trump, then President of the United States, and Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, met in Singapore in June 2019. Photo by Yonhap News

Additionally, the NIS forecasted the possibility that President-elect Donald Trump might pursue dialogue with Kim Jong-un. This is based on Trump himself considering North Korea?U.S. talks as a representative achievement during his first term and his appointment of personnel related to North Korea in his second administration.

The NIS assessed, "(If President-elect Trump) judges that complete denuclearization of North Korea is difficult in the short term, smaller-scale negotiations such as nuclear freeze or arms reduction, a 'small deal,' are possible." It also reported, "It is necessary to prevent the possibility of the U.S. excluding the South Korean government and engaging in unilateral North Korea nuclear negotiations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.