"Leaving Mother's Embrace in Russia..." Handwritten Letter from Deceased North Korean Soldier Revealed

Ukrainian Forces: "Over 3,000 North Korean Soldiers Dead or Injured"

"Longing for my homeland, leaving the warm embrace of my father and mother, here on the land of Rossiya (Russia)..."

On the 24th (local time), the Ukrainian Special Operations Command released a handwritten letter on Facebook, saying it was found in the possession of a North Korean soldier killed in the Kursk region of Russia. Authorities explained, "Ukrainian special operations forces have been continuously killing North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region of Russia," and identified the deceased soldier as 'Jung Kyung-hong.'

A handwritten letter held by a North Korean soldier who died in Kursk. Ukraine Special Operations Command Facebook

The letter reads, "Longing for my homeland, leaving the warm embrace of my father and mother, I celebrate the birthday of my closest comrade and fellow soldier, Comrade Song Ji-myung, here on the land of Rossiya (Russia)... I sincerely wish you good health and send birthday congratulations. December 9, 2024." Since the date on the letter is the 9th of this month, it is believed to be a letter written but not yet delivered.

Authorities said this was the first decoded content from the deceased soldier’s notebook and added, "While continuing to eliminate the enemy in the Kursk region, the translation of Private Jung’s remaining notes will proceed. More content will be disclosed later." They also stated, "If you try to celebrate a friend’s birthday but instead hold a party by digging trenches with a machine gun on foreign soil, the cake with candles will be replaced by Ukrainian-made 5.56 caliber lead bullets."

The New York Times (NYT) reported the previous day, citing U.S. intelligence officials, that the deployment of North Korean troops was an idea from the North Korean side and that Russian President Vladimir Putin quickly accepted it.

Ukraine claimed that up to 200 North Korean soldiers have died and slightly more have been wounded, but Russia is concealing this. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that "preliminary data shows the number of North Korean soldiers killed or wounded in the Kursk region has already exceeded 3,000."

U.S. officials said it is unclear how effective the North Korean troops are on the battlefield. A senior Ukrainian official reported that the deployed North Korean soldiers do not appear to be fully integrated with Russian forces and sometimes seem to operate independently. This is analyzed to have increased the risk of casualties.