Ukraine targets North Korean troops with psychological warfare

The Ukrainian military is conducting psychological warfare against North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces, seeking to persuade them to surrender rather than needlessly lose their lives on the battlefield.

Euronews reported on Tuesday that under a project called "I Want to Live," the Ukrainian military produced leaflets and videos to encourage North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's troops to surrender. Newsweek contacted the Ukrainian and Russian defense ministries, as well as the North Korean embassy in Beijing, by email for comment outside of normal business hours.

North Korea, which is an ally of Russia, has reportedly deployed up to 12,000 soldiers to the western Russian region of Kursk, where Ukraine has seized some of the territory, to support Moscow's war effort, according to South Korean, United States and Ukrainian intelligence.

While confirming the first North Korean troops had been killed in the conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that they will be "cannon fodder." This came after a Russian military blogger claimed that the "highly trained and motivated" forces were not being deployed for combat directly.

In exchange for Pyongyang's military assistance, Russia will supply fighter jets to North Korea, Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told reporters recently.

According to Euronews, the Ukrainian intelligence service launched the "I Want to Live" project following the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion of the country on February 24, 2022. By dropping flyers on the battlefield, enemy troops are encouraged to surrender to the Ukrainian side.

The project was initially targeting Russian soldiers who refused to take part in President Vladimir Putin's war. It is claimed that 350 of Putin's troops have laid down their weapons through this project.

The new leaflets, written in Korean and printed with illustrations, are being distributed along the front lines. They instruct North Korean troops on how to surrender: lying down with their faces to the ground, holding up a white sheet or leaflet, and dropping any weapons.

Vitaliy Matvienko, a volunteer working for the project, claimed that many North Korean troops may see the combat deployment as a chance to escape Kim's regime and live in another country.

The Ukrainian military posted a video on a Telegram channel earlier, also called "I Want to Live," South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported. The video tries to convince North Korean troops to surrender as they will be provided with shelter, food and warmth while being prisoners of war.