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| 2025-09-01 15:14:58
NK troops-Russia deployment
Documentary shows atrocities faced by N. Korean troops deployed to Russia
SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean documentary revealed Monday that North Korean troops deployed to support Russia in the war against Ukraine had been subjected to battlefield atrocities, including death by suicide bombing.
North Korea's state-run Korean Central Television aired the documentary Sunday night, featuring images of battles involving its soldiers deployed in the Russia-Ukraine war.
The documentary introduced two young soldiers -- Yun Jong-hyuk, 20, and Woo Wi-Hyuk, 19 -- who embraced each other and detonated a grenade to kill themselves after being besieged by the enemy, describing such suicides as "heroic sacrifices."
It also depicted the suicide bombing of another 22-year-old soldier, saying that after being wounded and seeing his comrades rush to save him, he detonated a grenade to kill himself. When the blast failed, he set off another grenade to his head, "heroically" killing himself, the documentary said.
The video also showed some soldiers were used as human shields, introducing cases in which they sacrificed their lives to cover landmines or enemy drones during missions to clear a path or save dozens of his comrades.
The video listed hundreds of war dead, touting their sacrifices as "the start of their bright eternal life."
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent letters on several occasions to troops on overseas missions, consoling and encouraging them, the video also revealed.
In one of the disclosed letters, Kim said he "will pray for the souls of our sacrificed soldiers again and again," promising to repatriate their remains.
In another letter on New Year's Day, Kim urged "everyone to be safe."
The documentary also includes footage of North Korean troops flying secretly overnight aboard a Russian flight, noting that there were no farewells from their parents and families or a splendid farewell ceremony when they departed.
In a separate video released by North Korea last month, Kim finalized his troop deployment decision on Aug. 28 last year before troops were dispatched to Russia in late October. After about six months, North Korea broke the news of the deployment to its people on April 28 via state media.
South Korea's spy agency said in April that around 600 North Korean soldiers are believed to have been killed during combat and more than 4,000 North Korean troops have also been injured.
The video marks the latest in a series of events commemorating North Korean war dead in the Russia-Ukraine war, apparently aimed at securing more rewards from Russia in return for the troop deployment ahead of Kim's potential summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of China's military parade in Beijing on Wednesday.
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