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(LEAD) N.K. soldier captured by Ukraine says he thought was going to training, not war: Kyiv

North Korea 13:27 January 12, 2025

(ATTN: UPDATES with NIS' confirmation in paras 9-10, 12)

SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- One of the two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine has claimed during questioning that he thought he was going for training, not to the war against Ukraine, Kyiv's security service has said.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has captured two wounded North Korean soldiers in Russia's western Kursk region and that investigators were questioning them.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it has questioned the two soldiers through Korean interpreters in cooperation with South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) as they do not speak Ukrainian, Russian or English.

A wounded soldier, suspected to be North Korean and captured by Ukrainian forces, is seen in this photo posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Telegram on Jan. 11, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

A wounded soldier, suspected to be North Korean and captured by Ukrainian forces, is seen in this photo posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Telegram on Jan. 11, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

It said that one of the soldiers had a Russian military identification card in the name of another person registered in Russia. The soldier said he was given the document last autumn when he said some North Korean units took part in a one-week training event with Russian forces.

"It is noteworthy that the prisoner ... emphasizes that he was allegedly going for training, not to fight a war against Ukraine," the SBU said in a release.

The North Korean with the Russian military ID said he was born in 2005 and has been serving in the North Korean military since 2021. The other was born in 1999 and has been serving since 2016 as a scout sniper, the SBU said, citing preliminary information.

The SBU also released video footage appearing to show the two captured men -- both of them in bandages from apparent wounds.

"Immediately after being captured, the foreigners were provided with all the necessary medical care," it said. "They are being held in appropriate conditions that meet the requirements of international law."

The South Korean spy agency later confirmed Ukraine's capture of the two soldiers, also quoting one of them as saying that there have been "considerable" casualties among North Korean soldiers in Russia.

"(We) will continue to share information related to the North Korean prisoners in close cooperation with Ukraine's intelligence authorities," the NIS said, adding that the injured soldiers are not in any critical condition.

North Korea is estimated to have sent some 11,000 troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, according to South Korean officials.

The NIS told lawmakers here last month that at least 100 North Koreans have been killed, with around 1,000 others injured.

A wounded soldier, suspected to be North Korean and captured by Ukrainian forces, is seen in this photo posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Telegram on Jan. 11, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

A wounded soldier, suspected to be North Korean and captured by Ukrainian forces, is seen in this photo posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Telegram on Jan. 11, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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