Ukraine Report: "North Korean Troops Drunk on New Year's Eve... Morale Down"

Soldiers Deployed in Battle Also Intoxicated
Propaganda Efforts to Prevent Morale Decline

Concerns are rising as signs of deteriorating discipline and declining morale among some North Korean troops deployed in Russia have been detected.

On the 2nd (local time), Ukrainian media RBC-Ukraine and others cited a report published by the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Directorate (DIU), stating that North Korean forces have been deploying new troops in the Kursk region from the 31st of last month to the 1st of this month. It is presumed that North Korea has dispatched troops to assist the Russian military, and these forces have been deployed to the frontlines such as Kursk, where clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces are ongoing.

The DIU stated about the newly deployed North Korean troops, "Perhaps due to low morale, the Russian military is continuously propagandizing how important North Korea's participation in the Ukraine war is."

North Korean soldiers receiving supplies at a Russian recruit training center. Screenshot from the Strategic Communication and Information Security Center (SPRAVDI) of the Ukrainian military.

The DIU also detailed signs of morale decline among the North Korean troops. The DIU reported, "On New Year's Eve, North Korean soldiers were heavily intoxicated, and among the drunken troops were those who had participated in combat operations."

Meanwhile, it is known that a senior North Korean officer visited the Russian 22nd Mechanized Infantry Regiment in Kursk. North Korean troops are attached to the 22nd Mechanized Infantry Regiment, and this senior officer reportedly visited the regiment to assess the severe losses suffered by the North Korean forces.

Evidence that North Korean troops are enduring extreme humiliation on the frontlines has also been detected domestically. Earlier, on the 19th of last month, Lee Seong-gwon, a ruling party member of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, explained the combat situation of North Korean troops during a meeting with reporters after a closed-door briefing of the Intelligence Committee.

North Korean troops deployed at the end of last year reportedly suffered at least 100 deaths and 1,000 injuries in actual combat, and they are said to be almost unable to respond to drone attacks by Ukrainian forces.

Lee said, "Previously, about 20 casualties, including high-ranking officers, occurred due to Ukrainian attacks and training accidents. The background of these casualties includes being used as assault troops in unfamiliar open terrain and a lack of response to drone attacks. Complaints have arisen within the Russian military that North Korean troops, being ignorant of drones, have become more of a burden."