An unknown North Korean soldier peers up at a Ukrainian drone in the Kursk salient (Picture: 95th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade Polissia/Dominic Gibbon, Metro)
A North Korean soldier sent to die in the frozen wastes of Kursk has revealed his sworn allegiance to Kim Jong Un from beyond the grave.
The diary showing signs of brainwashing are among possessions retrieved from the bodies of troops sent 7,000 miles from their homeland to shore up Vladimir Putin’s attempt to claw back ground in southern Russia.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) confirmed to the Metro that they have engaged the reinforcements but are more concerned about ‘who stands beside us’ and the provision of high-tech kit from Western nations.
The notebook kept by special forces soldier Gyong Hong Jong, whose documentation suggests he is 27, is among possessions retrieved from the bodies of North Korean soldiers by Kyiv’s own elite forces.
One handwritten entry reads: ‘The most important of these (fronts) is the anti-imperialist and class struggle front, and the most crucial task is combat readiness.
‘I emphasize again — the most critical, vital task for our armed forces is readiness for war.
‘”All efforts – to complete war preparations!” This is what the revolution demands, what the current circumstances require.
‘This is the combat slogan that must be raised high on the banner of our armed forces at all levels…’
One of the diary entries by North Korean soldier Gyong Hong Jong (Picture: Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, @SOF_UKR)
Military kit retrieved from the body of one of 13 North Koreans ‘taken down’ in Kursk (Picture: Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, @SOF_UKR)
The repetition of Communist-style propaganda, which carries no mention of Putin’s pretexts for the all-out invasion, shows that Jong was pre-conditioned to die while following orders without question.
The notes continue: ‘Not to be a battalion that makes commitments only in words, but a battalion that knows how to act and fight immediately upon receiving orders — to prepare universal battalions capable of flawlessly completing any mission, even at the cost of death…
‘I will go to the front line in this operation, and I will unconditionally carry out the orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Kim Jong Un, even if it costs me my life.
‘That is the goal each battalion in our armed forces must achieve.
‘This is the spirit of this congress (of the party).’
An identity document found on the dead North Korean soldier who was sent to the Kursk oblast (Picture: Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, @SOF_UKR)
A crude sketch in the soldier’s notebook shows tactics for dealing with drones (Picture: Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, @SOF_UKR)
Troops from the People’s Republic of Korea have arrived in the war zone to try and help Moscow’s forces wrest back control of hundreds of square kilometres of Russian ground seized by Ukrainian forces six months ago.
Reports from the battlefield suggest they are being deployed in ‘meat grinder’ assaults on Kyiv’s forces.
Footage from Ukrainian units show soldiers identified as North Korean being picked off by drones as they march across exposed frozen ground in chain formation.
Jong’s notebook also includes a sketch of three stickmen trying to take down a drone, apparently showing one being used as a lure while the others open fire.
Kit retrieved by Ukrainian Special Operations Forces from the bodies of 13 North Korean soldiers (Picture: Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, @SOF_UKR)
In tactics described as ‘live bait’ by Ukraine’s SOF, he wrote that the exposed soldier should stand motionless to stop the aerial vehicle moving.
The private also said that he was deployed as punishment for committing a ‘very serious offence in trying to protect the esteemed Comrade Supreme Commander’ – namely ‘putting Russian belongings into my pocket’ while working at an unspecified barracks.
He writes: ‘I will join the front lines of this operation and sacrifice my life.
‘I will unconditionally follow the orders of Comrade Supreme Commander
‘I will show the world the courage and self-sacrifice of the Red Special Forces named after Kim Jong Un. And I will win this battle, return home, and bring the request of Mother-Party.’
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Jong’s notebook also reveals a more personal side, with another entry reading: ‘Having left my homeland and being in Russia, I wish my good friend and army brother, Song Ji Myung (Yong), a happy birthday and good health. Dec. 9, 2024.’
The soldier’s death last month comes amid reports of huge losses among Russian and North Korean troops at the hands of Ukrainian forces.
His notebook revealed his identity after Russia apparently tried to hide his presence with fake documents making him out to be from the remote Tuva republic in Siberia — possibly as part of an attempt by the Kremlin to hide the support it is receiving.
Some aspects of the diary have been classified by Ukrainian forces.
In a separate encounter, Ukraine’s SOF said its 8th regiment ‘took down’ 13 North Korean troops in Kursk — five in a firefight and eight by drone.
After the skirmish they found one had an AK with a collimator optical sight, a Russian Azart walkie-talkie and a drone detector, suggesting he might have been an officer.
A North Korean soldier peers out from a makeshift shelter in imagery captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Picture: 95th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade Polissia)
North Korean troops are repelled by soldiers of the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations (Picture: 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, @73centreuasof)
A detachment commander for Ukraine’s SOF told Metro: ‘Our team has engaged North Korean troops assisting the Russian army in Kursk.
‘But for me and other SOF operators, it doesn’t matter who we fight against. What matters most is who stands beside us. When I’m with my brothers-in-arms and friendly Ukrainian Security and Defense units, we will destroy the enemy — regardless of where they come from.’
Asked about the motivations of fighting an enemy which continues pouring men and materiel into the fight with little or no regard for its own troops’ lives, the commander responded: ‘Our main motivation is to liberate Ukraine from the enemies who brought war to our land, destroyed our cities and villages, killed and tortured civilians and abducted our children.
‘However, motivation is multilayered. I am driven by my team — guys with who I’m ready to take on any mission, no matter how difficult.
‘I’m also motivated by my family, who can stay relatively safe because I and hundreds of thousands of other service members defend Ukraine from enemy forces.’
Ukrainian Special Operations Forces soldiers have operated deep behind enemy lines (Picture: Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, @SOF_UKR)
The audacious Kursk incursion is the first time foreign troops have captured ground within Russia’s legal borders since World War Two.
Another parallel with the earlier conflict can be drawn between the small group tactics used by Ukraine’s elite forces, including the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, which is similar to the British Royal Marines or US Navy Seals, and the SAS missions behind German lines.
Aided by an SOF advance party, Kyiv’s main battlegroup was able to make a rapid advance across the border from the Sumy region.
Initially, around 1,400 square kilometres were seized, which has since been reduced to 800 square kilometres, according to a Ukrainian army source who spoke to the AFP news agency.
The Pentagon said in November that there were between 11,000 and 12,000 North Korean troops in Kursk, in order to ‘replace the massive losses that Russia is experiencing.’
Kyiv’s forces have launched counter-offensives of their own in at least three areas of the salient, the respected US Institute for the Study of War reported on Monday.
The UK Ministry of Defence said that Ukraine has launched a ‘limited armoured counter-attack against Russian forces’ in Kursk.
The intelligence update posted on X today stated: ‘The attack came as Ukraine continues to defend its salient of territory in Kursk against persistent attacks by Russian and North Korean forces.
‘Despite high casualties, Russia has only been able to make minor advances against Ukrainian-held territory in recent weeks.’
Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact josh.layton@metro.co.uk
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