The Russians did not train the DPRK military to counter Ukrainian drones, and their command underestimated their effectiveness.

This is stated in their interview with the South Korean media Chosun Ilbo.

The media reports that one of the prisoners, a 26-year-old soldier, is named Rhee, and the other, a 21-year-old, is named Baek. They held the positions of a sniper scout and a rifleman, respectively.

According to them, they are soldiers of the Reconnaissance General Bureau (정찰총국) under the General Staff of the Army and not special forces of the 11th “Assault” Corps of the SOF Command.

We can only assume which unit they are from, as the local “GRU” includes units 180, 91, and 525.

At the same time, it is possible that due to the reforms, some intelligence units were transferred to the SOF or subordinated to their command during the fighting in the Kursk region.

According to Rhee, he arrived in Vladivostok on October 10, 2024. Before that, he and his fellow soldiers had been in Jagang province for about a month, where they helped with flood relief efforts.

“I joined the battle on January 5. The first wave of troops suffered heavy losses due to drone strikes and artillery fire. We were counting on the support of Russian artillery, but they were firing behind enemy lines and not covering us properly. This resulted in many casualties,” Rhee added.

The prisoner shared that North Korean agents were closely monitoring the troops in Kursk, spreading false rumors that the drone operators were South Korean soldiers.

After being wounded, he was afraid to move even at night, fearing the “devil’s drone,” as he called the nighttime bombing drones that Russians call “Baba Yaga.”

According to him, it was drones that caused the unit’s most significant losses, and the Russians did not teach them how to effectively counter this threat.

In January, it was announced that the South Korean government plans to hold consultations with Ukraine on the reception of captured North Korean soldiers.

The South Korean constitution defines the entire Korean peninsula as its territory, effectively recognizing all peninsula residents, even the DPRK, as its citizens.