Reports suggest North Korean soldiers are ordered to commit suicide to avoid capture, a tactic rooted in historical precedents like the 1996 submarine incident where crew members were killed by a superior officer who then took his own life. This aligns with North Korea's strict military discipline and propaganda emphasizing loyalty to the regime over personal survival.
The reliability of these reports is questionable. While South Korean intelligence and Ukrainian sources claim 3,000 North Korean fighters have been killed or wounded, the exact figures are difficult to verify. Wartime propaganda often exaggerates enemy losses, and independent confirmation is lacking. Historical precedents of North Korean suicide tactics exist, but current claims remain unverified.
South Korea is likely gathering intelligence on North Korea's military capabilities and tactics. Additionally, they may be concerned about potential military technology exchanges between Russia and North Korea, such as advancements in ballistic missile systems or nuclear warheads. South Korean intelligence agents are also assisting with interrogations of captured North Korean soldiers.
Russia may provide North Korea with advanced military technology, including improvements to ballistic missile systems or nuclear warheads, in exchange for North Korean soldiers fighting in Ukraine. This collaboration could destabilize the region and escalate tensions, particularly with South Korea and the United States.
Yes, it likely violates the Geneva Conventions, which protect prisoners of war from public curiosity and ridicule. The release of videos featuring North Korean captives by Ukrainian intelligence raises ethical and legal concerns, as it could be seen as exploiting prisoners for propaganda purposes.
Russia is using North Korean soldiers as expendable troops to mitigate its own casualties, particularly from major cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg. This strategy allows the Kremlin to avoid public backlash over high casualty rates in urban areas while maintaining military pressure in Ukraine.
As Ukraine takes its first North Korean prisoners of war, South Korea is claiming many are killing themselves on the battlefield - under orders to do so - rather than be taken alive. But if these soldiers are so dispensable how can they have such an impact on the war? And are the reports even true? The Times' Asia Editor, Richard Lloyd-Parry, analyses what we can and can't believe.
The World in 10 is the Times' daily podcast dedicated to global security. Expert analysis of war, diplomatic relations and cyber security from The Times' foreign correspondents and military specialists.
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