'Samsung Phone' Found on North Korean Soldier's Body... Kim Jong-un's Letter Saying "I Miss Comrades"

Ukrainian Military Reveals Items Belonging to North Korean Soldiers
Samsung Mobile Phone, Command Documents, and Letter from Kim Jong-un Discovered

The Ukrainian military has released photos of bodies presumed to be North Korean soldiers and captured war trophies. Among the North Korean soldiers' belongings were a Samsung 2G mobile phone and Korean-language instruction documents.

On the 29th (local time), NK News, a U.S. North Korea specialist media outlet, reported that the Ukrainian Special Forces Operations (SFO) 8th Regiment killed two North Korean soldiers during combat in Kursk, western Russia, and eliminated seven Russian soldiers using drones.

Personal belongings of North Korean soldiers killed in action released by the Ukrainian military [Image source=Provided by Ukrainian Special Operations Forces]

During this operation, the Ukrainian military acquired communication devices and various documents believed to contain Russian military operational plans. Photos of the North Korean soldiers' belongings provided by the Ukrainian special forces revealed equipment reportedly carried by the North Korean troops at the time.

NK News stated, “Military equipment included a DL-5 rangefinder, a 1PN139-1 thermal imaging sight, and an AK-12 assault rifle equipped with a 1P87 optical sight.” In addition, identification cards, documents, and communication devices found on the deceased North Korean soldiers were also present. Notably, Korean-language instruction documents, a letter from Kim Jong-un, and a Samsung-branded 2G phone stood out.

Furthermore, documents created for use by North Korean soldiers in combat contained Korean phrases written in Ukrainian phonetics, such as “Raise your hands,” “Drop your weapons,” “Surrender and you will be spared,” “Take off your clothes,” and “Who is the commander?”

Personal belongings of North Korean soldiers killed in action released by the Ukrainian military [Image source=Provided by Ukrainian Special Operations Forces]

The letter from Kim Jong-un, dated December 31, 2024, began with “Our troops carrying out military missions in overseas operational areas” and included the message, “On behalf of the Workers' Party of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, I send warm thanks to all comrades. I truly miss you all.”

This letter is known to be identical to the document obtained and released earlier on the 19th by the U.S. Washington Post (WP).

According to the Ukrainian announcement, the number of North Korean troops deployed to Russia is estimated at 12,000, with casualties up to mid-month estimated at around 4,000. Among these, the number of fatalities is reported to be approximately 1,000.