The decision by North Korean POWs captured by Ukrainian forces to go to South Korea is expected to have repercussions on North Korea's 'self-destruction narrative' and internal regime.
In North Korea, the issue of prisoners of war is a matter of life and death, directly linked to loyalty to the Kim Il-sung family.
Article 6 of the Service Creed explicitly states 'do not become a prisoner of war,' defining surrender as betrayal and treason.
During the Korean War, repatriated POWs faced extremely negative treatment, such as being relegated to the lowest class or executed.
The North Korean authorities glorify these deaths as heroic acts, even though they were forced to avoid capture.
However, these were actually forced deaths to prevent becoming POWs, and the self-destruction during the 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident is also presumed to be murder or forced death.
This is an example of abnormal heroization, such as granting hero titles to 300 out of 13,000 dispatched troops.
The decision by two North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine to go to South Korea is a fatal blow to the North Korean propaganda system.
Their public activities and testimonies have the potential to change North Korea's narrative of 'self-destruction is heroic' into 'a meaningless death.'
North Korea fears most that their testimonies will expose the reality of forced self-destruction, and Russia and North Korea are putting strong pressure on Ukraine to prevent their repatriation to South Korea.
The government needs a balanced response between dialogue and military assertiveness in cases of high-level defections or POW incidents. Strategic ambiguity must be maintained regarding the issue of POW repatriation, which could cause cracks in the North Korean regime.
Since the repatriation of POWs could cause fatal cracks within the North Korean regime, a balanced response between dialogue and military assertiveness is crucial at the government level.
A soldier's duty is to fight to the end and, if unable, to eliminate the enemy or become a POW. However, organized mass self-destruction is closer to murder by the regime rather than an act of combat will.
This demonstrates that the Korean People's Army is not a group fighting with devoted patriotism, and that its combat power can easily collapse if surrounded.
They just commit suicide together to avoid becoming prisoners of war. Such an army cannot have combat power. Why? Because if you just surround them, it's over.
Ukraine's disclosure of information about North Korean POWs is assessed as a breach of diplomatic trust.
Although it was likely agreed to keep it confidential, breaking this agreement could negatively impact future POW exchange negotiations.
Such disclosure increases the possibility of retaliation against families in North Korea and narrows Ukraine's leverage in POW negotiations.
This will ultimately lead to more North Korean soldiers facing deaths akin to suicide on the front lines, so unnecessary sensationalizing of the issue should be avoided to prevent organized forced self-destruction.
Answers come from the transcript, with the exact spot cited.
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