According to Kyodo News on Sunday, Ukrainian authorities are planning to distribute Korean-language leaflets on the front lines and actively encourage North Korean soldiers to surrender if they are deployed to combat against Ukraine.
An official from the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense remarked, “North Korean soldiers operate under pressure from a dictatorial regime. For many, this deployment could be a rare chance to escape from their homeland.”
While Ukrainian authorities may need to investigate potential war crimes committed by North Korean soldiers during combat, there is a possibility that those who defect could be protected as refugees after the war.
Kyodo News suggests that Ukraine’s strategy is to demoralize North Korean forces by ensuring they understand they will be treated humanely if they surrender.
Meanwhile, there are growing predictions that North Korean troops currently training in Russia are on the brink of being deployed into actual combat. Thousands of North Korean soldiers have reportedly arrived in Kursk, a region in southwestern Russia that has become a fierce battleground between Ukraine and Russia. However, they have not yet engaged in combat, and their specific role remains uncertain.
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