Russian Soldiers Frustrated to Communicate with Alleged North Korean Troops in New Video

Amid strong growing suspicions that North Korean troops are now operating in Russia, a recent video captures the frustration of a Russian soldier learning Korean to communicate with North Korean forces, sparking further speculation about the two nations’ military cooperation.

On Monday, a video shared by a pro-Ukrainian group’s Telegram channel shows a soldier, thought to be Russian, studying from a paper that featured both Korean and Russian text. In the video, the soldier holds a sheet of paper listing common Korean phrases such as “Hello,” “Please,” and “What’s the matter?” alongside Russian translations and phonetic spellings in the Latin alphabet.

When the man filming asks, “How’s the studying going?” the soldier responds with frustration, saying, “Damn it, to hell with this!” As the cameraman inquires again, “What’s the problem?” the soldier complains, “I don’t understand any of this.” Pointing to the phrase “Where are you from?” he curses again, exclaiming, “I don’t get it. I don’t understand.”

The channel administrator who posted the video informed Radio Free Asia that the source came from a Russian military Telegram channel. However, they declined to disclose the specific source due to its use for intelligence purposes.

On Tuesday, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported to the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee that they believe Russian and North Korean soldiers are struggling to communicate due to language barriers. According to the NIS, Russia has been working to recruit Korean language interpreters. Russian authorities are reportedly teaching North Korean troops around 100 Russian military terms. Still, these efforts have failed, as North Korean troops have difficulty grasping Russian military concepts.