Ukraine’s “I Want to Live” initiative has released a video in Korean, encouraging North Korean soldiers reportedly deployed in Russia to surrender to Ukrainian forces. This appeal comes as Ukraine’s Defense Ministry intelligence confirmed that the first North Korean troops arrived this week in Russia’s Kursk region, close to the combat zone.
The video showcases Ukrainian POW camps, assuring North Korean soldiers that, if they surrender, they will be treated according to the Geneva Conventions. It emphasizes safe detention conditions, food, and medical care. “No matter how many soldiers Pyongyang sends to aid Russia, Ukrainian POW camps are prepared to accept soldiers of any nationality, religion, or ideological background,” the video states.
Background on “I Want to Live”
Launched in September 2022 by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, the “I Want to Live” hotline offers Russian soldiers a way to voluntarily surrender to Ukrainian forces. As of June, the program has facilitated the surrender of over 300 Russian servicemen, with many expressing the wish not to be exchanged back and some even showing interest in joining Ukraine’s security and defense efforts, according to Defense Intelligence representative Andrii Yusov.
The initiative has also received over 35,000 applications, mainly from Russian soldiers or those at risk of conscription, who seek to avoid involvement in what they see as a war of aggression. Many hope to return home post-conflict without facing criminal charges, so they are processed as captives, not deserters.
Can North Korean Soldiers Access the Initiative?
Access to Ukraine’s “I Want to Live” hotline is limited for North Korean troops, as internet access and personal computing are restricted in North Korea, with mobile phones heavily monitored and limited to state-controlled content. Though the project’s website was blocked in Russia shortly after its launch, it remains accessible via VPNs, messengers, a hotline, and a chatbot operated by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.
In a message to North Korean soldiers, the video urges them to avoid “dying senselessly in a foreign land” and not to “repeat the fate of hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers who will never return home.”