“How to shoot down a drone”: Ukrainians reveal excerpts from the logbook of a North Korean soldier killed on the front

Pieces of this notebook have been shared by Ukrainian special forces on social media, who claim that it is indeed the logbook of a North Korean soldier.

His name was Gyong Hong-jong and he was North Korean. He was reportedly killed in the Russian region of Kursk, a region under Ukrainian control, by Ukrainian special forces soldiers. The soldiers who killed him reportedly found a logbook that belonged to him, excerpts of which they shared on social media.

A soldier under a false identity

According to the Ukrainian soldiers who shared the images of the logbook, the North Korean soldier who was killed had identification papers from the Tuva region. A Russian region that borders Mongolia, a way of trying to cover up North Korean involvement in the conflict. While the West has claimed that this involvement was real, neither Vladimir Putin nor Kim Jong-Un have officially announced the dispatch of North Korean troops.

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Jong initially wrote that he wanted to wish a friend a happy birthday. “Having left my country and being in Russia, I wish my good friend and brother-in-arms Song Ji-myung a happy birthday and good health. December 9, 2024”. To which the Ukrainians ironically respond: “When you want to wish your friend a happy birthday but instead of having a party you are holding an AK in a trench far from home and the candles are replaced by Ukrainian 5.56mm bullets”

The Kim Dynasty's Indoctrination of North Koreans

In his logbook, the soldier first admits to having “committed a very serious mistake in trying to protect Comrade Supreme Commander even if it meant betraying him. The sin I committed paved the way for rebirth”. Loyal to the regime that has ruled North Korea since 1948, he then affirms “to join the front lines of this operation and will sacrifice his life. I will unconditionally follow the orders of Comrade Supreme Commander”.

He then pays a new tribute to the North Korean party of leader Kim Jong-Un. “I grew up learning sincerely under the protection of the generous Party, receiving more love than I thought, and I did not understand the price at which my happiness was bought. Defending the Motherland is a sacred duty of every citizen and the highest mission.”

Finally, we can also see a diagram for defending against Ukrainian drones where it is written “how to shoot down a drone” as well as instructions for evading fire artillery. While Ukrainian special forces say they are continuing to translate the rest of the notebook, they end by saying that the North Korean soldier “was right about at least one thing: he sacrificed his own life to help one dictator help another.”