Recent reports indicate that North Korean soldiers sent on behalf of Russia to Ukraine have recently gained unrestricted access to the internet, a huge change for soldiers hailing from one of the most isolated countries in the world. That has translated into reports of soldiers accessing online adult content, as The Financial Times echoes. But again, it described the soldiers as “gorging” on pornographic material without specifying how their internet use was monitored or documented.
When approached for comment by The New York Post, a U.S. Defense Department spokesperson did not confirm North Korean troops’ internet activities. Army Lt. Col. Charlie Dietz said they couldn’t confirm any specific “North Korean internet habits or virtual extracurriculars.”
It comes amid increasing ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. Russia reportedly sent over 7,000 North Korean soldiers armed with AK-12 rifles, mortar rounds, and other munitions into areas near Ukraine. The soldiers have received training in five different locations in Russia’s Far East to support Russia’s military action in Ukraine, said Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence.
In just two days from their deployment, clashes with Ukrainian forces and the occupation of part of the Kursk region in Russia are what North Korean troops have faced. Such an escalation breeds further questions about what is being foreseen in the involvement of North Koreans in this ongoing conflict.
