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North Korean Soldier’s Diary Reveals Brutal Tactics and Deep Loyalty to Kim Jong Un in Ukraine

A diary allegedly belonging to a North Korean soldier has been recovered by Ukrainian Special Operations Forces, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The diary includes sketches outlining tactics for capturing drones and records pledges of unwavering loyalty to Kim Jong Un.
The journal, written in meticulous Korean script, underscores the extreme indoctrination and brutal tactics employed by North Korean forces. One entry includes a crude stick-figure diagram instructing soldiers to use a comrade as “bait” to lure Ukrainian drones into range for others to shoot down. Another reads, “Even at the cost of my life, I will carry out the Supreme Commander’s orders without hesitation.”
Elsewhere, he recalls his upbringing under the North Korean regime, describing it as the "benevolent embrace" of the ruling Workers’ Party. He confesses a need to atone for unspecified sins, a sentiment commonly used in North Korean military propaganda to reinforce loyalty.
Private Jong, along with two comrades, was killed on December 21, 2024, during a firefight in the village of Pogrebki. DNA tests confirmed the soldiers’ East Asian origins, consistent with their North Korean identities. The recovered diary has been authenticated by military experts, who noted the distinct language and phrasing unique to North Korean propaganda.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces first encountered North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region in November 2024. After two months of combat, two soldiers were captured. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that many North Korean troops die in Russia’s relentless “meat-grinder” assaults or are executed by their own forces if wounded or captured.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) has confirmed that North Korea not only supplies Russia with artillery shells and ballistic missiles but has also deployed elite troops. Heavy losses among joint North Korean and Russian units have been reported and on January 9, two soldiers were captured, providing further evidence of their involvement.
Approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to Russia's Kursk region in late 2024. Originally tasked with logistics, they were later thrust into frontline combat, a report by the US-based Institute for the Study of War estimates that at current casualty rates, the entire contingent could be wiped out by mid-April 2025.