Latest news with #Matsegora
Korea Herald
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Russian envoy touts NK troop deployment as demonstration of bilateral partnership: KCNA
Russia's top envoy to North Korea has touted Pyongyang's troop deployment as a demonstration of the two countries' partnership during a reception marking the 80th anniversary of Moscow's World War II victory over Nazi Germany, the North's state media said Friday. Russian Ambassador Alexandr Matsegora made the remarks during a reception marking the 80th anniversary of Russia's Victory Day, held the previous day at a hotel in Pyongyang, the Korean Central News Agency said. "The operations for liberating the Kursk area proved that the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are a comprehensive strategic partnership and allies," the KCNA quoted Matsegora as saying in his speech at the event. Recalling Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent message thanking North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the troop deployment, the ambassador also noted that cities, villages and squares reclaimed by Russia will be named after "North Korean heroes" and monuments honoring them will be erected. Last month, both Russia and North Korea officially confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia's front line of Kursk, about half a year after South Korea's spy agency reported in October that around 12,000 North Korea soldiers had been sent to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. In a separate speech during the event, North Korea's Defense Minister No Kwang-chol described the war as a "great patriotic victory," claiming that it safeguarded Russia's dignity and honor and saved mankind from the fate of downfall. No expressed confidence that Russia would secure another victory this year, pledging that the North Korean military would offer unwavering support for the Russian military's efforts to protect its sovereignty, security and territory. Several high-ranking North Korean officials also attended the banquet, including Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, along with a Belarusian government delegation visiting the country for discussion on economic cooperation. (Yonhap)
New York Times
12-02-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
North Korea Is Caring for Russia's Wounded Soldiers, Envoy Says
North Korea is restoring its Cold War-era comradeship with Russia by looking after Russian soldiers wounded in the war against Ukraine, as well as hosting Russian children who lost parents in the fighting, according to Moscow's ambassador to Pyongyang. The presence of hundreds of wounded Russian troops, as well as an unspecified number of Russian war orphans, in North Korea was revealed by Alexander Matsegora, the Russian ambassador to North Korea, in an interview published on Sunday by the state-run news outlet Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Mr. Matsegora made the revelation, which could not be independently corroborated, while emphasizing the friendly ties between Russia and North Korea. It is also notable as one of the first public admissions by either side of North Korea's practical support for its ally's war effort. The bilateral relations have deepened rapidly since Russia's invasion of Ukraine three years ago, and North Korean troops have recently started fighting alongside the Russian forces. North Korea has suffered thousands of casualties in the war. But it has also been taking care of injured Russian soldiers, according to Mr. Matsegora. 'One of the clear examples of our brotherly ties is the rehabilitation of hundreds of soldiers wounded in the special military operation at Korean sanitariums and clinics,' the envoy said, referring to the war against Ukraine. Last year, North Korea also received Russian children whose fathers died on the battlefield, housing them in the Songdowon children's recreation center in Wonsan, on the east coast of North Korea, he said. The North Koreans were looking after the Russian soldiers and children free of charge, he said. The Russian envoy offered no details about the children, including how long they planned to stay in North Korea. 'When we offered our friends to cover at least some of those expenses, they were genuinely offended and asked us not to do this ever again,' he said. The Songdowon center was originally built as a camp for foreign children, part of North Korea's international propaganda efforts. Although the idea of Russian troops being rehabilitated in North Korea, one of the poorest and most isolated countries in the world, may sound unusual, communist countries had a long tradition of building solidarity by looking after each other's wounded soldiers, orphans and widows during war times, said Kim Deog Young, a documentary filmmaker. Mr. Kim is the director of 'Kim Il Sung's Children,' a documentary about thousands of war orphans that North Korea sent to countries like Poland, Hungary and East Germany during the 1950-53 Korean War before bringing them home in 1956. 'Kim Jong-un is rebuilding the old tradition of solidarity as he sees the emergence of a new Cold War,' Mr. Kim said. From Mr. Matsegora's interview, it was unclear when the wounded soldiers from Russia arrived in the North or whether they and the Russian orphans were still there. But in June last year, the South Korean cable channel TV Chosun reported that North Korea was treating wounded Russian soldiers in Wonsan before it began sending its troops to Russia later that year. When President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia visited North Korea to restore a Cold War-era mutual defense treaty with its leader, Kim Jong-un, in June last year, he had planned to travel to Wonsan to meet the Russian soldiers, TV Chosun reported. But the planned visit to Wonsan was canceled when Mr. Putin's arrival in North Korea was delayed, it added. It also isn't clear what type of medical care the Russian soldiers were receiving in North Korea. North Korea's public health system collapsed in the wake of a famine of the 1990s when doctors were forced to use beer bottles to construct intravenous systems, according to defectors. The country still suffers an acute shortage of medicine. But Wonsan is one of the better developed areas in the country. Kim Jong-un has been building a seaside resort complex there, hoping to attract foreign tourists. In a report published on Monday, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War cast some doubt on the report that Russia was letting its wounded troops recuperate in North Korea. 'The Russian military command has reportedly been sending wounded personnel back into assault groups without treatment, demonstrating a general disregard for soldiers' health,' it said. Such brutal tactics were 'calling into question official Russian claims to be sending Russian soldiers abroad for treatment, particularly to North Korea,' it said. But the institute added that 'the arrival of combat-experienced Russian soldiers, particularly if they include officers or noncommissioned officers, to North Korea may allow the Russian military to work with North Korean forces and disseminate lessons from the war in Ukraine while ostensibly recuperating.' If confirmed, the recuperation of Russian troops in North Korea is the latest example of deepening ties between the two countries. North Korea has sent about 11,000 soldiers to Russia, as well as large shipments of artillery shells, rockets and missiles, according to United States, South Korean and Ukrainian officials. In return, Russia has been providing North Korea with oil, food and help in upgrading weapons, South Korean officials said. Russia is also accepting more North Korean construction workers, a key source of cash for Mr. Kim's regime, they said. North Korea's intervention came with a heavy cost, as 4,000 of its troops have been killed or injured in combat, according to Ukrainian and Western intelligence estimates. But South Korean intelligence officials have said that despite the heavy loss, North Korea may send more troops to Russia. 'Our army and people will invariably support and encourage the just cause of the Russian army and people to defend their sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,' Mr. Kim said in a speech on Saturday, according to state media.
Egypt Independent
11-02-2025
- Health
- Egypt Independent
Hundreds of wounded Russian soldiers treated in North Korea, envoy says
CNN — North Korea has treated hundreds of Russian soldiers injured in Ukraine, Moscow's ambassador to Pyongyang told state media, as he revealed new details of the reclusive state's backing for the Kremlin's war effort. Wounded Russian troops have been recovering in North Korean medical facilities, Ambassador Alexander Matsegora told state-run outlet Rossiyskaya Gazeta in an extensive interview published Sunday. 'A clear example of such a brotherly attitude (between Russian and North Korea) is the rehabilitation of hundreds of wounded soldiers … in Korean sanatoriums and hospitals,' he said. The Russian envoy's comments are the latest sign of deepening ties between the two countries, which have recently reached heights unseen since the Cold War. North Korea has sent about 12,000 soldiers to Russia, according to Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence reports, following Moscow and Pyongyang's pledge to help each other if either nation is attacked in a landmark defense pact signed last June. About 4,000 North Korean troops have reportedly been killed or injured in combat after being deployed to Kursk since at least November to repel Ukraine's incursion in the southern Russian border region, Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence said. Meanwhile, Russia has also received thousands of shipping containers of munitions or munitions-related material from North Korea, and Moscow's forces have launched North Korea-made missiles on Ukraine, according to US officials. In his interview with state media, Matsegora claimed that North Korea had treated wounded Russian soldiers for free. 'When we offered to compensate our (North Korean) friends for at least part of their expenses, they were sincerely offended and asked us never to do it again,' he said. Matsegora also said that children of Russian troops killed in Ukraine had vacationed in North Korea last summer, and Russia and North Korea are developing student exchanges. Moscow supplies Pyongyang with coal, food, and medicine, he added. South Korea's intelligence service declined to comment on Matsegora's remarks. The extent of care potentially available to wounded Russian troops within North Korea's dilapidated health infrastructure remains unclear. Doctors who have defected in recent years often speak of poor working conditions and shortages of everything from medicine to basic health care supplies. Some analysts also cast doubt on Matsegora's troop recuperation remarks, pointing to Russia's brutal military tactics as the war in Ukraine grinds toward its third anniversary. Russia 'has reportedly been sending wounded personnel back into assault groups without treatment, demonstrating a general disregard for soldiers' health,' The Institute for the Study of War said in a news release Monday, 'calling into question official Russian claims to be sending Russian soldiers abroad for treatment, particularly to North Korea.' However, any arrival of experienced Russian troops, particularly officers, in North Korea 'may allow the Russian military to work with North Korean forces and disseminate lessons from the war in Ukraine while ostensibly recuperating,' the US-based conflict monitor added.
CNN
11-02-2025
- Health
- CNN
Hundreds of wounded Russian soldiers treated in North Korea, envoy says
North Korea has treated hundreds of Russian soldiers injured in Ukraine, Moscow's ambassador to Pyongyang told state media, as he revealed new details of the reclusive state's backing for the Kremlin's war effort. Wounded Russian troops have been recovering in North Korean medical facilities, Ambassador Alexander Matsegora told state-run outlet Rossiyskaya Gazeta in an extensive interview published Sunday. 'A clear example of such a brotherly attitude (between Russian and North Korea) is the rehabilitation of hundreds of wounded soldiers … in Korean sanatoriums and hospitals,' he said. The Russian envoy's comments are the latest sign of deepening ties between the two countries, which have recently reached heights unseen since the Cold War. North Korea has sent about 12,000 soldiers to Russia, according to Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence reports, following Moscow and Pyongyang's pledge to help each other if either nation is attacked in a landmark defense pact signed last June. About 4,000 North Korean troops have reportedly been killed or injured in combat after being deployed to Kursk since at least November to repel Ukraine's incursion in the southern Russian border region, Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence said. Meanwhile, Russia has also received thousands of shipping containers of munitions or munitions-related material from North Korea, and Moscow's forces have launched North Korea-made missiles on Ukraine, according to US officials. In his interview with state media, Matsegora claimed that North Korea had treated wounded Russian soldiers for free. 'When we offered to compensate our (North Korean) friends for at least part of their expenses, they were sincerely offended and asked us never to do it again,' he said. Matsegora also said that children of Russian troops killed in Ukraine had vacationed in North Korea last summer, and Russia and North Korea are developing student exchanges. Moscow supplies Pyongyang with coal, food, and medicine, he added. South Korea's intelligence service declined to comment on Matsegora's remarks. The extent of care potentially available to wounded Russian troops within North Korea's dilapidated health infrastructure remains unclear. Doctors who have defected in recent years often speak of poor working conditions and shortages of everything from medicine to basic health care supplies. Some analysts also cast doubt on Matsegora's troop recuperation remarks, pointing to Russia's brutal military tactics as the war in Ukraine grinds toward its third anniversary. Russia 'has reportedly been sending wounded personnel back into assault groups without treatment, demonstrating a general disregard for soldiers' health,' The Institute for the Study of War said in a news release Monday, 'calling into question official Russian claims to be sending Russian soldiers abroad for treatment, particularly to North Korea.' However, any arrival of experienced Russian troops, particularly officers, in North Korea 'may allow the Russian military to work with North Korean forces and disseminate lessons from the war in Ukraine while ostensibly recuperating,' the US-based conflict monitor added.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hundreds of wounded Russian soldiers treated in North Korea, envoy says
North Korea has treated hundreds of Russian soldiers injured in Ukraine, Moscow's ambassador to Pyongyang told state media, as he revealed new details of the reclusive state's backing for the Kremlin's war effort. Wounded Russian troops have been recovering in North Korean medical facilities, Ambassador Alexander Matsegora told state-run outlet Rossiyskaya Gazeta in an extensive interview published Sunday. 'A clear example of such a brotherly attitude (between Russian and North Korea) is the rehabilitation of hundreds of wounded soldiers … in Korean sanatoriums and hospitals,' he said. The Russian envoy's comments are the latest sign of deepening ties between the two countries, which have recently reached heights unseen since the Cold War. North Korea has sent about 12,000 soldiers to Russia, according to Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence reports, following Moscow and Pyongyang's pledge to help each other if either nation is attacked in a landmark defense pact signed last June. About 4,000 North Korean troops have reportedly been killed or injured in combat after being deployed to Kursk since at least November to repel Ukraine's incursion in the southern Russian border region, Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence said. Meanwhile, Russia has also received thousands of shipping containers of munitions or munitions-related material from North Korea, and Moscow's forces have launched North Korea-made missiles on Ukraine, according to US officials. In his interview with state media, Matsegora claimed that North Korea had treated wounded Russian soldiers for free. 'When we offered to compensate our (North Korean) friends for at least part of their expenses, they were sincerely offended and asked us never to do it again,' he said. Matsegora also said that children of Russian troops killed in Ukraine had vacationed in North Korea last summer, and Russia and North Korea are developing student exchanges. Moscow supplies Pyongyang with coal, food, and medicine, he added. South Korea's intelligence service declined to comment on Matsegora's remarks. The extent of care potentially available to wounded Russian troops within North Korea's dilapidated health infrastructure remains unclear. Doctors who have defected in recent years often speak of poor working conditions and shortages of everything from medicine to basic health care supplies. Some analysts also cast doubt on Matsegora's troop recuperation remarks, pointing to Russia's brutal military tactics as the war in Ukraine grinds toward its third anniversary. Russia 'has reportedly been sending wounded personnel back into assault groups without treatment, demonstrating a general disregard for soldiers' health,' The Institute for the Study of War said in a news release Monday, 'calling into question official Russian claims to be sending Russian soldiers abroad for treatment, particularly to North Korea.' However, any arrival of experienced Russian troops, particularly officers, in North Korea 'may allow the Russian military to work with North Korean forces and disseminate lessons from the war in Ukraine while ostensibly recuperating,' the US-based conflict monitor added.
