Zelenskyy shares new video of captured North Korean soldier

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released new footage of Ukrainian investigators speaking with a captured North Korean soldier who revealed he was left wounded for days before being taken prisoner.

Zelenskyy wrote that the world must know the truth about how Russia exploits North Korean soldiers to sustain and expand its war against Ukraine. He highlighted the soldier's lack of awareness about Ukraine due to growing up in an "information vacuum."

"Only Russia needs this war. I am grateful to all our warriors who are defending Ukraine's positions. I am also grateful to everyone in the world who is helping us to protect lives and our independence," Zelenskyy wrote.

The captive recounted that he was injured during combat but, unable to retreat with his unit, remained alone for three to five days before Ukrainian forces found and captured him.

He also disclosed irregularities in the documents issued to him in Russia, including an incorrect name and lack of a photo. Additionally, he described the training North Korean soldiers received in Russia, detailing how they were instructed to manipulate Ukrainian captives.

"I was trained like this: if we captured a Ukrainian soldier we would show him a picture of his home. One picture is a house, and the other picture is a weapon. We would let him show what he chooses. If he chooses the house, he is released. If he chooses the weapon, we send him in captivity," the soldier explained, though he claimed never to have taken prisoners himself.