“There is no need to die meaninglessly in a foreign land.”
Ukraine urged North Korean troops deployed to Russia to surrender and not engage in combat. A website in Korean provides detailed instructions on how to surrender, while a video introducing the POW camp was also produced in Korean and released on YouTube and Telegram.
According to local media Kiev Post, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s General Intelligence Service (HUR) issued a statement toward the North Korean military through the ‘surrender hotline’ operated against the Russian military on the 23rd (local time).
In a statement, the Ukrainian military said, “We appeal to the People’s Army soldiers who were dispatched to help the Putin (Russian President) regime. There is no need to die meaninglessly in another country. “Do not repeat the fate of hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers who were unable to return home,” he said. He then said, “Surrender! “Ukraine will provide food and warmth,” he said, claiming that thousands of surrendered Russian soldiers are also waiting for the end of the war, receiving three hot meals a day and medical care. He then emphasized, “Ukrainian prisoner-of-war camps are ready to accept all soldiers regardless of nationality, religion, or ideology.”
The Ukrainian military also announced that it had prepared a detention facility for North Korean prisoners of war by posting a 1 minute and 20 second video made in Korean on the Telegram and YouTube channel called ‘I Want to Live’. In the video, the authorities introduced the panoramic view of the facility, the inside of the bedroom, and the meal preparation process, and claimed, “In the near future, the first North Korean occupation troops captured from various sectors of the front line will arrive here.” “Prisoners are housed in large, warm, bright rooms with separate sleeping areas. “They receive three meals a day and their diet includes meat, fresh vegetables and bread,” he added.
In addition, a website in Korean was opened to provide detailed information on how to avoid forced mobilization and how to surrender. The Ukrainian military said, “If you want to surrender, just disarm, raise any white cloth and shout ‘I surrender,’” and added, “If you put down your weapons and do not commit war crimes, you will be guaranteed amnesty.”
While North Korea and Russia deny the rumor of troop deployment, the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) acknowledged North Korea’s deployment of troops to Russia. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, “There is evidence that North Korean troops are in Russia.” NATO spokesperson Farah Daklallah also announced, “Member states have confirmed evidence that the North Korean military has sent troops to Russia.” The National Intelligence Service announced that the number of North Korean troops who have moved to Russia so far is about 3,000, and that North Korea will send about 10,000 troops to Russia by December.
Kim So-young, Donga.com reporter sykim41@donga.com