A letter from a North Korean soldier who died while deployed in Russia’s war against Ukraine was released by Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces on Christmas Eve. The handwritten note reportedly found on the body of the fallen soldier in Russia’s Kursk region offers a glimpse into the soldier’s emotional state.
Kursk, a Russian border region captured by Ukrainian forces in August, reportedly hosts around 11,000 North Korean troops.
The letter, written in Korean with a ballpoint pen on lined paper, reads: “My closest comrade-in-arms, Comrade Song Ji-Myong, who is celebrating his birthday here in the foreign soil of Rossiya, away from the arms of his loving father and mother... I also sincerely wish you good health and extend my birthday greetings.” Some parts of the text are illegible due to the soldier’s heavily smudged handwriting.
At the end of the letter, the date “2024.12.9″ is written, suggesting it was either undelivered or a pre-written draft. The Ukrainian military identified the soldier as Jung Kyung-hong based on the name on his passport. Ukrainian officials said the letter is one of several entries in a notebook, and they plan on revealing translations of more entries soon.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has been publishing drone footage showing attacks on North Korean troops, their bodies, and identification cards. Analysts interpret these releases as part of a psychological warfare campaign aimed at undermining North Korean troop morale by emphasizing that they are being used as “cannon fodder” while simultaneously increasing pressure on North Korea for supporting Russia’s war efforts.
