I have betrayed
the love and grace of the party
This hastily written note contains the reflections of a North Korean soldier far from his homeland.
Visual investigation
Three years have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine. Faced with troop shortages, Russia has deployed more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers to the battlefield, of whom roughly 4,000 have been killed or wounded. What thoughts crossed the soldiers' minds as they fell on foreign soil? In cooperation with Ukrainian authorities and a former North Korean soldier, Nikkei analyzed personal items left by these fallen troops.
Nikkei obtained from Special Operations Forces of Ukraine photographs of diaries and notes from North Korean soldiers who died in battle. With the assistance of a South Korean translator well versed in North Korean culture, it was revealed that these writings contained expressions of extreme mental duress, loyalty to the Workers' Party of Korea and of hope.
These words were penned by Jong Gyong Hong, a soldier whose body was found in Russia's Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.
His note, filled with self-criticism, ends with a hopeful resolve to join the "mother party" upon his return.
"Party membership is very critical in North Korean society. Once you are admitted, you can develop your career," explained Lee Hyunseung, a 39-year-old former North Korean soldier. "Even in this very tragic and difficult situation, it was a small hope and a good opportunity for young people to apply. If they go back alive, I would say most of them will become the party members."
In North Korea, party membership confers significant honors and privileges, including educational and employment opportunities. Given that not everyone is eligible to join the party, soldiers are highly motivated to achieve military success to obtain these benefits.
Lee, whose father was a party executive, is a former party member himself. He enlisted in the military in 2002 and was a member of the institute training a special forces unit believed to have been deployed to Russia recently. To evade purges under Kim Jong Un's regime, he defected while in China and left for the U.S..
"Many of the soldiers who died were not party members, and they likely came from impoverished rural backgrounds," notes professor Atsuhito Isozaki of Keio University in Tokyo, an expert on North Korean politics.
Adapting to drone warfare
Another note left by Jong gives details of soldiers' attempts to fight off drones. A diagram illustrates how: "When a drone is spotted, three soldiers should coordinate, one to guide and two to shoot."
The Ukrainian military employs 21st-century warfare techniques, using unmanned drones equipped with explosives. Conversely, the North Korean military has lacked significant combat experience since the ceasefire that brought an end to the Korean War in 1953. "They don't have highly advanced gear with the training. It's their first time to experience it," said Lee, the former North Korean soldier. Despite being viewed as an elite unit by South Korean and Ukrainian authorities when it was sent to Russia in October 2024, the North Koreans' lack of tactical and operational experience has resulted in many casualties.
Unveiling hidden identities
Among the personal effects found were several notebooks labeled "military service certificate" in Russian. If the birthdates are accurate, these soldiers were all in their 20s when they went into combat.
The listed birthplaces include the names of republics within Russian territory north of Mongolia, and their civilian occupations are listed as "roofer" and "welder." This raises suspicions that Russia may have fabricated the documents to obscure the involvement of North Korean soldiers in the fighting.
Ukrainian troops found older Samsung smartphones among the North Korean soldiers, along with notes in Hangul to help them with pronunciation of Russian military terms, including commands like, "Drop your weapons."
In January 2025, Ukrainian authorities announced the capture of North Korean soldiers, subsequently releasing footage of two wounded soldiers conversing in Korean, marked by a distinct accent.
"Do you know where you are right now?"
[Soldier shakes his head]"What did your commanders tell you?"
"I heard it was just training."
This raises suspicions that these soldiers were deployed to the front lines without being briefed on operational details.
Tracing the route of North Korean soldiers
Where did the North Korean troops come from? In early October 2024, South Korea's National Intelligence Service analyzed satellite imagery and determined that around 1,500 North Korean soldiers embarked on Russian ships from three locations in North Korea.
On Oct. 18, footage emerged on the messaging app Telegram showing what appeared to be North Korean soldiers stationed about 130 kilometers north of Vladivostok, Russia. The video shows them marching in formation at a training facility.
The exact route the North Korean soldiers took from the Russian Far East to the Ukrainian border remains uncertain. Roughly two months later, on Dec. 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed on Telegram that North Korean soldiers had been deployed in Russia's Kursk region.
According to the 2025 edition of the Military Balance report by British think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the North Korean military has 1.28 million personnel, with about 10,000 troops deployed in Russia.
A letter signed "Kim Jong Un"
Among the items retrieved and published by the Ukrainian military, a note signed "Kim Jong Un" was found. The message read, "Come back home safe and sound. Never forget that I am always praying for your safe return." While the authenticity of the note remains unclear, it contained a message of encouragement to the soldiers.
There is conflicting information about the activities of North Korean military forces in Russia. The outcome of ceasefire negotiations, facilitated by the U.S., are expected to affect the futures of these soldiers.
December 2024. Here in Russia, my closest comrade-in-arms, Song Ji Myung, celebrates his birthday
The North Korean soldier, Jong, who was later killed, left a note celebrating his best friend's birthday, along with details on drone tactics and a petition for party membership.
Wishing you health
The note concluded with this message.
Sources: Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, Institute for the Study of War, National Intelligence Service of South Korea, Telegram post by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.