The brutal and inhumane reality faced by North Korean soldiers has come to light following an interview with Ri, a 26-year-old North Korean sniper captured by Ukrainian forces after being deployed to Russia’s Kursk region. Ri’s testimony confirmed that most North Korean troops enlist in their mid to late teens, similar to South Korean middle and high school students, and serve for years in isolation from their families while enduring extreme conditions and forced labor.
In an exclusive interview with The Chosun Ilbo, Ri revealed that he served in the North Korean military for 10 years before he was deployed to Russia, just before his scheduled discharge. Having enlisted at 16, he spent his entire early twenties in the military to fulfill the mandatory 10-year service. “I only spoke to my parents over the phone and never met them in person,” Ri said. Although his unit in Sinchon, South Hwanghae Province, was just 100 kilometers from his home in Pyongyang, he was never granted leave or visitation rights.
The North Korean military grants leave only in rare cases, such as the death of a parent. One North Korean defector who served in the military explained, “Only those with wealth or influence can visit their children during service. Most soldiers are limited to exchanging occasional letters or phone calls with their families.”
Ri’s interview also exposed how North Korean soldiers are forcibly mobilized for state projects, working in near-slave conditions. He said his unit, the Korean People’s Army Special Operations Force, known for its combat capabilities, was frequently deployed for both military and construction missions, including Kim Jong-un’s large-scale Samjiyon project. This “propaganda city” near Mount Paektu, built between 2018 and 2021, is located in the frigid Ryanggang Province, where winter temperatures drop to -30°C. Ri confirmed that soldiers were sent en masse for the project, recalling, “The cold in Samjiyon was much worse compared to Kursk,” and that their hands froze as they spent entire days chipping away at frozen ground with pickaxes.
Proper meals were likely scarce at construction sites. The North Korean military defector who fled a few years ago recalled, “Conditions were so dire that armed soldiers often turned to robbery and even murder just to secure food. The authorities even issued warnings of execution for such crimes.”
Since October last year, casualties among North Korean troops deployed to Russia have continued to rise. Ri said that soldiers were deceived into believing they were being sent abroad for “training” but were instead thrown into combat without fully grasping their situation. Of the estimated 12,000 troops sent, around 4,000 are reported dead or seriously wounded, with speculation of further deployments. However, ongoing ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Russia in Saudi Arabia may complicate North Korea’s plans.
Regarding this, U.S. President Donald Trump said at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Feb. 18, “Russia wants to do something,” and added that he will “probably” meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later this month. He also highlighted the heavy casualties among Russian and Ukrainian forces, saying, “A lot of [North] Korean soldiers have also been killed. They came over to fight, and a large portion have been wiped out.”
