"Russian Female University Student Reveals She Was Gang-Raped by North Korean Soldiers"

Foreign media reported that a woman in her 20s from Russia, who was helping North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia to adapt, was gang-raped by North Korean soldiers.

On the 19th (local time), Ukrainian media dsnews.ua and others reported that five North Korean soldiers deployed to the Kursk region of Russia to participate in the Russia-Ukraine war on the 12th were arrested on charges of gang-raping a local Russian university student.

Interview photo of a woman presumed to be a victim. Telegram

According to the report, the victim, Ms. A, is a 28-year-old university student attending the Russian University of Peoples Friendship (RUDN) who participated in a program supporting the local adaptation of North Korean troops stationed in Russia and suffered this incident. The program was reportedly initiated by the Russian Ministry of Defense and the RUDN Department of Linguistics to help North Korean soldiers adapt to the language, culture, and daily life.

Ms. A visited the village of Kromskie Byki in the Kursk region, about 15 km from the combat zone, to participate in this program. She claimed that "on the night of the 12th, I was gang-raped by 4 to 5 North Korean soldiers."

Ms. A, who said she woke up feeling as if she was suffocating, described the situation: "The rapists, who spoke Korean, taped my mouth, tied my hands, stripped me, then began beating and raping me." She added, "There was harassment and insulting language." She continued, "I was raped in turn by 4 to 5 soldiers," and said, "The soldiers looked similar, so I could not determine the exact number."

Ms. A appealed, saying, "I could not endure it. It was truly horrible," and "I don't know how to live now." Her interview was released on the Telegram channel Утро Февраля, which reports news related to the Ukraine war.

Ms. A, who was raped for two hours, reportedly managed to escape when the soldiers went to get alcohol. The media reported, "Although the victim was shocked by the fact that she was raped, she is afraid that revealing her victimization might damage the friendly relations between North Korea and Russia."

Meanwhile, on the 20th, the National Intelligence Service stated at the full meeting of the Intelligence Committee held at the National Assembly, "It is understood that about 11,000 North Korean soldiers completed local adaptation training in the Russian Far East and were relocated to Kursk around late October," adding, "Some were assigned to Russian airborne brigades and marine corps and are believed to have participated in actual combat."