It has been reported that North Korean soldiers who have been deployed to Russia are “gorging on pornography” after being given unfiltered access to the internet for the first time.
The claim comes from Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs officer at the Financial Times, who said that a “usually reliable source” shared the news with him.
According to Seoul’s defence ministry, more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers have arrived in Russia to support the country in its war on Ukraine.
The war, which began in 2014, escalated in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, in what became the deadliest conflict Europe has seen since World War II.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Defense responded after the claims concerning North Korea’s soldiers’ internet habits gained traction. Maj Charlie Dietz said he was unable to verify “any North Korean internet habits or virtual ‘extracurriculars’” in Russia.
“As for internet access, that’s a question best directed to Moscow,” Dietz said. “Right now, our attention remains on supporting Ukraine and addressing the more significant regional security concerns.”
Internet access is not widely available in North Korea, with only permitted high-level officials and foreigners granted access to international websites. North Korean citizens have access to Kwangmyong – an intranet system which is heavily regulated and mostly consists of political propaganda and scientific information.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov told South Korean media that the Ukrainian military battled North Korean troops in “small-scale clashes” for the first time, which president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed. “The first battles with North Korean soldiers open a new page of instability in the world,” he said.
In his congratulatory message to president-elect Donald Trump after his 2024 presidential election win, Mr Zelensky called for Mr Trump’s help to “put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine”.
