[Exclusive] N. Korean soldiers in Russia revealed through leaked list

[Anchor]

Ukraine has secured a list of North Korean soldiers, confirmed through military supplies, and KBS has obtained this exclusive document.

The youngest soldier on the list is only 18 years old.

Through this list, we can identify not only the ages of North Korean soldiers but also the structure and operations of their dispatched units.

Reporter Kim Kyung-jin has the exclusive report.

[Report]

This is a handwritten note presumed to be written by the North Korean military.

KBS has obtained it from the Ukrainian military, which secured it last week in the Kursk region of Russia.

Titled "Detailed List of 2nd Squad, 2nd Platoon," the term "squad" instead of "team" for a platoon's subunit is a characteristic of North Korean special forces like the "Storm Corps."

However, it is presumed that not all nine members listed are from the Storm Corps, and that the squad was hastily formed by supplementing regular infantry.

The average age of the squad members is 21 years, with the youngest soldier born in 2006, who is only 18 years old, making it difficult to consider them as veterans from the Storm Corps.

[Lee Joong-gu/Researcher, Korea Institute for Defense Analyses: "It can be seen as composed of some members from the Storm Corps and some infantry, and it appears that the squad leader, with seven years of military experience, wrote down the list to identify the newly formed members."]

The list contains the names, birth dates, enlistment dates, and addresses of the nine squad members written in detail.

Blood type and weapon numbers, which refer to the assigned firearm numbers, are also included.

The home addresses vary, including Pyongyang, Kaesong, and Gangwon Province, but it is notable that there are no members from South or North Hamgyong provinces.

The detailed information about parents' names, occupations, and phone numbers seems to be prepared in case they desert or have an accident.

[Kang Yoon-cheol/Former North Korean Soldier/Defector in 2016: "If someone deserts, the company commanders need to know quickly to handle it and possibly catch that person again, and they can also contact the parents..."]

Experts have analyzed that this list is clear evidence that the North Korean military is operating in small groups of about ten members within the Russian organized units, under operational control, and conducting limited operations.

This is KBS News, Kim Kyung-jin.