North Korean Soldiers Accused of Gang-Raping Russian Student During Training

A female student assisting North Korean troops in Russia with their adaptation has alleged that five North Korean soldiers gang-raped her.

According to Ukrainian media outlet dsnews.ua and other foreign sources, North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia’s Kursk region to participate in the Russia-Ukraine conflict were apprehended on November 12 on charges of gang-raping a local university student.

The victim, a 28-year-old student at the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), was participating in a program designed to support the local adaptation of North Korean troops when the incident occurred. The program was reportedly initiated by the Russian Ministry of Defense and RUDN’s linguistics department to assist North Korean soldiers in adapting to the language, culture, and daily life in Russia.

As part of the North Korean Military Adaptation Program, the victim was staying in the village of Kromsky Viki, approximately 15 kilometers (approximately 9.3 miles) from the combat zone in the Kursk region.

In an account shared on a Telegram channel reporting on the Ukraine war, she stated that I woke up in the middle of the night feeling suffocated. She continued that men speaking Korean taped my mouth, tied my hands, stripped me, and began beating and raping me, adding I was raped consecutively by four or five men. Their appearances were similar; she couldn’t determine the exact number.

She recounted that after enduring two hours of abuse, she managed to escape while the soldiers were searching for vodka. She described the experience as unbearable and horrific, expressing uncertainty about how to continue living after such an ordeal.

The media reported that despite the trauma of the alleged rape, the victim referred to as Anna, fears that revealing her story could jeopardize the friendly relations between North Korea and Russia.