Senior North Korean Military Official Injured... Truth Behind the Report [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

First Report Citing US Media and Western Officials

Recently, there has been growing interest in the veracity of reports that a high-ranking North Korean military officer was injured in a Ukrainian airstrike in the Kursk region of Russia.

On the 21st, the American daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing Western officials, reported that since North Korea dispatched more than 10,000 soldiers and officers to Russia, which is at war with Ukraine, last month, there have been casualties among high-ranking North Korean officers. This is the first time Western officials have disclosed this information. These officials did not reveal specific details such as the extent of the North Korean officer's injuries or his identity.

Earlier, the Ukrainian government stated that at least 500 North Korean officers led the deployed troops into Russia, including three high-ranking generals: Kim Young-bok, Vice Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army; Ri Chang-ho, Director of the Reconnaissance General Bureau; and Shin Geum-cheol, Major General of the People's Army. The high-ranking North Korean officer reported to have been injured is presumed to have been wounded during an attack on the 20th when Ukrainian forces launched British-made Storm Shadow air-to-ground cruise missiles at the Kursk region of Russia.

Videos posted on social media (SNS) at the time show up to 12 Storm Shadow missiles striking a target believed to be a military command headquarters in the village of Marino, Kursk. According to the British media outlet The Guardian, Ukrainian media reported that the headquarters is a facility used by North Korean and Russian officers. WSJ reported that a Russian blogger claimed that several North Korean soldiers were present at the headquarters during the attack.

The North Korean mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Ukrainian attack on Kursk, WSJ added. After the news of North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia surfaced last month, John Kirby, White House National Security Communications Coordinator, stated that all North Korean soldiers fighting in Ukraine are "fair game and fair targets" for the Ukrainian forces and could be subject to attack.

There have also been claims that North Korean forces suffered casualties due to poor drone operation skills.

According to the U.S. Radio Free Asia (RFA), Michael McCaul, Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, said at a briefing hosted by the U.S. think tank Atlantic Council that there are reports of North Korean soldiers not knowing how to operate drones, resulting in drones crashing above their heads and "taking out many of them." He added, "It is not something to celebrate someone's death, but North Korean soldiers are not integrated with Russian forces," pointing out language barriers and lack of training.

Earlier, on the 7th of this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated at the European Political Community (EPC) summit held in Budapest, Hungary, that some North Korean troops deployed in Kursk had been engaged in combat and suffered casualties.

U.S. President Joe Biden recently authorized the use of American-supplied ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles to attack Russian mainland targets in Ukraine. U.S. officials said that lifting the long-standing restriction on the use of ATACMS, which Ukraine had requested for a long time, was a response to North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia. The United Kingdom appears to have also allowed the use of its domestically produced Storm Shadow cruise missiles on Russian mainland targets following the U.S. move, although it has not officially confirmed this authorization.