New York: South Korea's top envoy to the United Nations stated that North Korean troops are being dissipated as "expendables" in Russia's war against Ukraine, serving as a "cynical" tool to sustain the North Korean regime.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook made these remarks during a U.N. Security Council meeting. He referenced Seoul's casualty assessment, which indicates that of the 12,000 North Korean troops dispatched to Russia, over 300 were killed and approximately 2,700 were injured. The ambassador noted the testimonies of two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine's military in the Kursk region, which demonstrated the involvement of North Korean troops in combat roles and their treatment as expendables. Pyongyang, however, continues to deny any troop deployment.
Ambassador Hwang emphasized his linguistic ability to identify North Korean accents, confirming the origins of the captured soldiers. He linked the high number of casualties to what he described as "inhumane" tactics employed on the front lines, where North Korean soldiers used outdated human wave tactics and were subsequently targeted by Ukrainian drones.
He further reported on accounts that North Korean troops were navigating minefields in single columns, acting as human mine detectors without the protection of mine-clearing vehicles. Hwang cited intelligence reports from South Korea indicating that news of the North's troop deployment is spreading within North Korea, causing significant fear and anxiety among the families of the deployed soldiers, who perceive their relatives as being used as slave soldiers.
Ambassador Hwang concluded by stating that the information clearly shows that North Korea treats its troops merely as a tool for sustaining its regime and advancing its illegal weapons of mass destruction program. He reiterated Seoul's condemnation of the troop dispatch and the ongoing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, urging for an immediate cessation of these activities.