"North Korean Soldiers Are Constitutionally South Korean Citizens"
"Democratic Party Ignores North Korean Human Rights"
"Both Ruling and Opposition Parties Must Strongly Condemn"
Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, mentioned North Korean soldiers deployed in the Russia-Ukraine war and argued that both ruling and opposition parties should respond together to protect lives.
On the 19th, Yoon opened his social media account by saying, "North Korean soldiers being massacred by drones are also citizens of the Republic of Korea, precious young people." He explained, "The foretold misfortune caused by the deployment of North Korean troops to Ukraine is becoming increasingly harsh and horrific," adding, "On the 17th (local time), the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces released footage showing attacks on North Korean soldiers and their armored vehicles and cars using a 'first-person view drone (FPV)."
He continued, "The footage contains such horror that it can be described not as a battle but as a massacre. Watching scenes where they are chased like rabbits by Ukrainian drones and attacked one after another, and at one point, seemingly having given up on life, staring endlessly at the drone, I could not erase the despair," and criticized, "Watching the video where cluster munitions, called 'the devil's weapon' and 'forbidden weapon,' explode and presumably kill many North Korean soldiers, I feel anger toward Kim Jong-un and the North Korean regime that pushed these soldiers to the brink of death."
Yoon said, "In this battle close to a massacre, 50 North Korean soldiers reportedly died and 47 were injured. Even at this moment, North Korean soldiers are losing their lives in a meaningless fight," but pointed out, "No one in the political sphere is talking about this issue." He stated, "North Korean soldiers are also constitutionally citizens of the Republic of Korea. Their deployment to the Russia-Ukraine war is a murderous act with no justification other than dictator Kim Jong-un's purpose of earning foreign currency and maintaining his regime through a nuclear-armed strong state," and called it "the most vicious of evils." Furthermore, he said, "It must be rightfully condemned and stopped through cooperation with the international community. We must protect the precious lives of our youth who are being sacrificed meaninglessly far away," emphasizing, "There is no ruling or opposition party in this matter. North Korea's deployment and provision of weapons violate not only the UN Charter and basic principles of international law but also numerous UN Security Council resolutions."
He also said, "The joint resolution condemning North Korea's deployment to the Russia war, which failed to be adopted at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee last month, must be adopted again including the withdrawal of North Korean troops. Representative Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party have shown a passive stance on criticizing North Korea's nuclear weapons and have neglected North Korean human rights, but this time they must strongly condemn the ruthless Kim Jong-un and the North Korean regime," and stressed, "The ruling and opposition parties must condemn this together and respond jointly to protect the precious lives of North Korean soldiers." Finally, he added, "We must not forget that North Korean soldiers are also constitutionally citizens of the Republic of Korea and precious young people. I demand a decision from Representative Lee Jae-myung."
Earlier that morning, Lee Sung-kwon, the ruling party's secretary of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, revealed the status of North Korean troops to reporters. Lee explained, "The Kursk region has become the fiercest battleground due to Russia's final territorial recapture offensive," adding, "It is estimated that about 11,000 North Korean soldiers are deployed in this area, and some have been actually engaged in combat since this month." The National Intelligence Service reported that at least 100 deaths and 1,000 injuries occurred during this process. This is the first time that our intelligence agency officially confirmed the occurrence of North Korean soldier casualties following the United States. The National Intelligence Service added, "There are also indications that about 20 casualties, including high-ranking officials, occurred previously due to Ukrainian attacks and training accidents," explaining, "The background includes being consumed as frontline assault troops in an unfamiliar open battlefield environment and insufficient response to drone attacks." Additionally, they noted, "There are complaints within the Russian army that North Korean soldiers are a burden due to their ignorance of drones."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
