my first thought when nk sent troops was what an opportunity to get out of nk.
18 doesn’t seem like many. North Korea must have sent thousands
I think I read somewhere 3000 to that unit / region
I hope they all find better lives and live them.
North Korean battle theme in Ukraine:
Imagine living in a 1950’s time bubble. You are being constantly told through propaganda that your military force is cutting edge and that it can easily overwhelm any enemy.
Then you are being sent to fight on a battlefield where everyone has better gear than you, where you are confronted to weapons that are so far advanced beyond anything that you’ve ever seen they might as well be magic. Then you see said weapons completely obliterate your comrades without giving you a chance to even see the enemy who operates them.
You only obeyed so far because you feared what your government might do to you if you didn’t. Now you’ve found something that you fear even more.
imagine them seeing the drone for the first time.
Hearing
For the first and last time 😟
🌻
Hey (pointing skywards), is that a dro…
you are confronted by* weapons
Please write this novel.
I threw it into ChatGPT, then asked them to change the name from Henry to one common in Korea.
In-soo had always believed the stories. The glossy propaganda reels, the posters of steely-eyed soldiers, and the speeches from government officials all painted the same picture: his country’s military was unmatched, unstoppable. Though the world had advanced, In-soo’s nation remained locked in a past vision of itself, proudly touting its military might, using technology that hadn’t evolved much beyond the 1950s. Tanks, planes, and rifles that his father might’ve used were still standard issue. It was enough, they said, to overwhelm any enemy.
But when they arrived on the battlefield, the illusion shattered.
The air was thick with smoke and dust. In-soo clutched his rifle, a relic from an era that felt like ancient history. He could hear the hum of something—machines, weapons, drones? He didn’t know. The enemy was out there, but they remained invisible, their presence felt only through strange, high-pitched frequencies and flashes of light. He had been trained for combat in a conventional sense, but this wasn’t war as he understood it.
A blinding flash erupted in the distance. Seconds later, half his squad was gone, reduced to nothing more than ash. No gunfire, no warning—just a blip, and they were vaporized. In-soo froze. This wasn’t warfare. It was annihilation. The weapons being used against them were so advanced they were beyond his comprehension, like something out of a nightmare. Weapons that didn’t give him a chance to even see who—or what—was operating them.
“Stay together!” his commanding officer shouted, but it didn’t matter. How could they stay together when they couldn’t even see what was killing them? Panic surged through the ranks. Soldiers who had once stood tall, believing in their nation’s invincibility, now scattered in terror, desperate to survive.
In-soo crouched behind a rusted piece of machinery, gripping his rifle tightly, though he knew it was useless. He had been afraid of disobeying orders, terrified of what his government would do to him if he didn’t serve. But now, that fear felt insignificant. The enemy’s technology wasn’t just more advanced—it was like magic, bending the very rules of reality.
He glanced at the scorched earth where his comrades once stood, feeling a deep, gnawing helplessness. They weren’t soldiers anymore. They were bodies—disappearing in a war where they never stood a chance. In-soo had always feared the consequences of deserting or refusing to fight, but now, a new terror gripped him: the realization that he was facing something far worse than his government’s threats.
The certainty that had once bolstered him was gone. All that remained was the fear of an enemy he couldn’t see, couldn’t fight, and couldn’t even begin to understand.
Novel? As in a book of fiction? This is happening right now. I am sure some video of this will come out of this sad story and maybe in a few years some of these people who surrendered will be able to write their own story first hand. (I am assuming they will not want to go back to nk).
Well that’s one way to escape North Korea I guess.
I know a good number of North Koreans would love to defect if there weren’t going to be consequences for their families back home. Put those people in a situation where they can just disappear and have it explained as being honorably slain in combat? Seems like a golden opportunity if the country they defect to doesn’t just send them back.
I know a good number of North Koreans…
How do you know so many North Koreans?
I’m a quarter NK. All the NKs I know are dead tho
Hah, got me there.
I did actually meet a North Korean once when I spent a fair bit of time in Seoul during a study abroad program, but she “defected” as a child (read: smuggled into the South via China by some Christian group) and didn’t really have much recollection of what life in the North was even like. Definitely not many though!
One is more than a lot of us can claim.
Nice try, Kim!
Hi Kim, me and my whole family wants to def … go to Ukraine and die for you!!
The whole family!
I’m not sure I trust any of these claims. The sources are all Ukrainian which means they are highly likely to be war propaganda at worst and heavily biased at best. No matter what anyone’s preconceptions about North Korea or Russia may be, independent verification is needed to know if any this is true.
Lemmy.ml attacking the Kremlin’s enemies, what a surprise.
No, they’re pointing out the obvious. Newsweek isn’t what it used to be, and the claims are all sourced from Ukraine, with no external on the record confirmations, yet.
Ukrainian media has a moral obligation to service the propaganda needs of the war. That’s neither good, nor bad, that’s just a part of being in an existential war for survival. I don’t blame them for it, and I’m certainly not bashing them for, I’m just pointing out reality.
I can’t speak for the person you’re responding to, but I have no trouble understanding why North Korea would send thousands of support personnel to Ukraine as the logistical tail to support their weapons platforms. Western nations have been doing the same thing inside Ukraine.
Maybe the story is true, it’s possible. But I’m going to need to see better sources provided then a Kyiv Post article citing unnamed Western officials or Newsweek using Ukrainian articles as their source information.
That’s it. If anything, it’s more unreasonable to not be skeptical of early reports coming from any war zone, whether you want to believe them, or not.
The core of what they say is truthful, just like most propaganda. Why bother pointing it out? Why automatically doubt Ukraine, calling them very biased “at best”?
Because it’s designed to undermine Ukraine and support the Kremlin and Pyong Yang.
I can’t speak to that users motivations. I can only say that initial reporting out of any warzone should be viewed skeptically. I’ve already provided my rationale as to why, but ultimately, it’s a personal choice.
I’d rather file away first reports as unconfirmed rumors, or incomplete assessments, until I’ve seen additional reporting from other sources I trust.
Maybe that user really is what you said they are, or maybe they just suck at articulating the point that I was making. I don’t know.
At least what Ukraine is claiming is somewhat based in reality compared to what russia claims.
According to russian sources, russia has destroyed some vehicle and plane types in higher numbers than ukraine ever had, yet Ukraine still has some.
Weird how that works.
I don’t understand how anything I said inferred credibility unto Russian sources, much less Russian MOD claims on Ukrainian losses.
Can you reread my original comment, and then explain to me how anything I said, is directly related to anything you just said?
deleted by creator
Can I just downvote them anyway for being from .ml? (kidding)
Yeah no, there’s plenty of .ml users who have no idea of the political leanings of the server, I agree. Which is why I made it very clear I was kidding. I’m still keeping the instance blocked though.
The best news.
How come?
Ukraine needs to kill fewer N. Koreans now. That’s a plus.
I misread the headline and thought they would be sending more regular troops. Well this is both parts expected and indeed good news.
I’ve been deployed to the woods by a country I dislike, to a country I don’t understand under the command of a country I also dislike
…guess I’ll just leave, then.
I’ll file this under “Most Easily Predicted Outcome.”
I want to know if they screamed “FREEEEEDOM!!” while doing it.
Probably but I don’t think they screamed in English.
Liberrrrtad!
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MBFC: Right-Center - Credibility: High - Factual Reporting: Mostly Factual - United States of America
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