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North Korea is aiding Russia in treating soldiers injured in the war in Ukraine. Moscow’s ambassador to Pyongyang, Alexander Matsegora, told the state-run Rossiyskaya Gazeta that North Korea has always given Russians a warm welcome — and that the friendship has become even more apparent in recent years.
“A clear example of this brotherly relationship is the rehabilitation of hundreds of wounded soldiers from the 'special military operation' in North Korean sanatoriums and medical facilities,” Matsegora said.
According to the ambassador, this cooperation is rooted in a “shared history” and cultural ties. He added that North Koreans greet Russian soldiers with smiles, offer assistance, and even attempt to speak Russian. He also recalled that in the summer of 2023, the Songdowon Children's Camp hosted the children of fallen Russian servicemen, providing free medical care, accommodation, and food.
“When we offered to at least partially compensate our friends for their expenses, they were genuinely offended and asked us never to bring it up again,” Matsegora added.
In mid-January, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released photos of captured North Korean soldiers, along with a Russian military ID issued to one of them. Documents suggest that Russia attempted to pass off a North Korean soldier as a native of the southern Siberian Republic of Tuva — the homeland of former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. According to Zelensky, the soldiers were captured during battles in the Kursk Region.
This marked the first confirmed case of North Korean soldiers being taken prisoner in Ukraine, as well as the clearest official proof that Pyongyang has deployed its troops to fight against Ukraine.
Despite repeated claims from Ukrainian and Western officials, as well as occasional social media leaks of similar military IDs and images of North Korean troops, Pyongyang has consistently denied that it has sent its soldiers to Russia. In October 2024, Vladimir Putin also avoided answering questions about North Korean troops, saying only that North Korea adheres to the mutual defense clause in the partnership pact between Russia and the DPRK.
South Korean intelligence previously reported that another North Korean soldier captured in Ukraine also died in captivity.
According to both Kyiv and Seoul, North Korea has deployed over 10,000 troops to assist Russia, with South Korean officials pointing to signs of further deployments of soldiers and military equipment. At the end of last year, Zelensky announced that more than 3,000 North Korean troops had been killed in fighting in the Kursk Region.