Ukraine’s Special Forces have released excerpts from a diary they claim belonged to a North Korean soldier killed during fighting in Kursk region of Russia.

According to ABC News, which republished the translated excerpts, the diary sheds light on the ideology and tactics of the soldiers Pyongyang has sent to support Vladimir Putin’s forces.
Recall that, according to recent statements from Kiev and Washington, North Korean forces fighting in Kursk are suffering heavy losses on the battlefield as the tactics they are using appear to be outdated and ineffective.

According to White House National Security spokesman John Kirby, the North Korean soldiers are individuals who have been intensively indoctrinated, attacking even what is clearly futile, and some of them even resort to suicide, fearing that if they are captured their own people will suffer reprisals from the regime.

The diary published by the Ukrainian authorities – the authenticity of which ABC News is unable to verify – is attributed to Corporal Gyeong Hong-jong, a member of the North Korean special forces.
It contains both personal confessions and instructions for dealing with Ukrainian drones and artillery, based on the experiences and “lessons learned” so far by Pyongyang’s troops.

Among other things, the use of a comrade as a “decoy” to neutralize drones is suggested. “When a drone is detected, form a triad. One acts as a decoy, keeping a distance of 7 meters, while the other two, who shoot, maintain a distance of 10-12 meters. If the decoy stops moving, so will the drone. At that moment, those who are firing neutralize it,” it said.

For artillery attacks, Gyeong advises that soldiers should split into small groups or hide in areas of previous attacks, since there is less likely to be a new strike.

The diary is not limited to survival tactics but also includes strong ideological elements. Gyeong writes: “I grew up in the arms of a blessed party, studied without a care in the world. I didn’t know how to react to the happiness that surrounded me.”

The soldier says he once “betrayed the party” and “showed ingratitude” to the leader, Kim Jong Un, but was given a second chance. “My country gave me a chance to be reborn. Now, I have to repay the trust, I have no choice… Defending the homeland is my sacred duty. I put on the military uniform to protect the Supreme Commander.”

“I will carry out the orders of the Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un, even if it means sacrificing my life,” the now-dead soldier’s diary reads. He even pledged in its pages “to show the whole world the irresistible courage and self-sacrifice of Kim Jong Un’s Red Special Forces.”

Heavy casualties

South Korean intelligence agencies estimate that at least 11,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, with casualties – dead and wounded – numbering in the thousands.

In the past week alone, more than a thousand North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia to fight Ukrainian forces have been killed or wounded in Kursk, Kirby said.