South Korean Intelligence Confirms Ukraine’s Capture of Two North Korean Soldiers “`

According to South Korea’s intelligence service, Ukrainian forces apprehended two wounded North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian troops in a Russian border region, corroborating a previous report.

Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed the capture of the two soldiers on January 9th in the Kursk region of Russia.

This follows President Zelenskyy’s Telegram post stating that the two captured soldiers, who sustained injuries, were transported to Kyiv and are cooperating with Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU).

The SBU released a video seemingly depicting the prisoners in jail cells; however, the video’s authenticity remains unverified.

A doctor featured in the SBU video described one soldier’s facial wound and the other’s open wound and lower leg fracture. Both are receiving medical care.

The SBU also reported that one soldier lacked identification, while the other possessed a card bearing the name of a resident from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia.

Ukraine’s military indicates that North Korean soldiers wear Russian uniforms and carry counterfeit military IDs, a tactic Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesperson, Andrii Yusov, suggests allows Moscow and its UN representatives to deny the facts.

Despite claims from Ukraine, the U.S., and South Korea that Pyongyang deployed 10,000–12,000 troops to the Kursk border region to fight alongside Russia, Moscow hasn’t publicly acknowledged this.

While reports of North Korean involvement surfaced in October, Ukrainian forces only confirmed ground engagement in December.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy estimated 4,000 North Korean casualties (killed or wounded), though U.S. estimates are lower, around 1,200.

Despite initial inexperience and losses, Ukrainian soldiers, military intelligence, and experts believe this combat experience will enhance the North Korean military’s capabilities.

“For the first time in decades, the North Korean army is gaining real military experience,” Yusov stated. “This is a global challenge — not just for Ukraine and Europe, but for the entire world.”