Newsweek: North Koreans fake tuberculosis to avoid frontline in Russia

North Koreans are forging medical certificates for tuberculosis to prevent men from being sent to the frontlines in Russia. Families are willing to pay over $500 for fake documents — more than 100 times the average monthly salary in the country — according to a Newsweek report.

U.S. and South Korean estimates suggest up to 12,000 North Korean soldiers have already been deployed to Russia, participating in combat operations in the Kursk direction. North Korea has one of the world's largest armies, with men required to serve for ten years and women for five. This compels families to seek ways to avoid mobilization.

Journalists note that the price of a fake medical certificate has quintupled over the past year, rising from $100 to $500. For most families, this is an enormous sum, as the average monthly salary of a North Korean government worker is only $1–3. Many are willing to pay, fearing their husbands or sons will not return alive from the front, the report says.

A woman from Ryanggang province told reporters there is widespread fear that if their sons are drafted and sent to Russia, they will never come home.

Relatives of the dead reportedly receive official death certificates stating "sacred combat training in honor of the motherland," without specifying the actual circumstances of death.

• On January 22, 2025, The New York Times reported that North Korea could send reinforcements to Russia's Kursk region within two months.
• On January 24, South Korean sources confirmed similar reports but did not specify the number of troops.
• On January 28, reports stated that North Korean soldiers were eliminated by special forces near Kursk, with weapons and equipment seized from cleared positions.