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The original was posted on /r/ukraine by /u/Freewhale98 on 2025-08-07 23:07:32+00:00.
Testimony from a Russian prisoner of war has emerged claiming that homosexuality is widespread among North Korean troops deployed to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian media outlets such as TCH on the 6th, Ukrainian journalist and soldier Yuriy Butusov released interrogation footage of a Russian POW. The prisoner’s name, age, and unit affiliation were not disclosed.
In the interrogation video, the POW said that North Korean soldiers openly display same-sex relationships without hesitation. He said, “We were standing in line at the restaurant when two North Korean soldiers walked up holding hands. Before parting ways, they kissed.” He emphasized, “They really kissed on the lips,” adding, “At first, I thought it was a man and a woman.”
The POW also claimed that North Korean soldiers have stolen from and assaulted Russian troops. “Once, North Korean soldiers stormed into a trench, beat up a soldier, took his laptop, and ran away,” he said. “But to us, they all look the same, so it’s hard to figure out who did it. Of course, they probably think we all look the same, too.”
Homosexual behavior within the North Korean military has also been reported by North Korean defectors. However, since there is no concept of “homosexuality” in North Korea, such acts often exist only as behavior without clear recognition or categorization. Some defectors explain it as a form of sexual repression due to long-term service.
Lee, a North Korean defector who served in Pyongyang’s military, said in a BBC Korea interview released last October: “When young boys come into the army, aren’t they cute? So we hug them, put our arms around their shoulders, rub against them. Since there are no women, if a slightly pretty-looking boy comes in, people frame him as a woman and satisfy their desires.” He added, “It’s not because their sexual identity is unusual, but because they endure ten years without women. It doesn’t mean they actually like men.”
He further said, “When you look at North Korea through a South Korean mindset, you can never understand it. You have to see it through North Korea’s own perspective to understand. There’s no sense of homosexuality there, not even as common sense.” He noted that while such people may exist, “Almost no North Koreans recognize themselves as such.”
In fact, in 2015, two male North Korean soldiers were caught on South Korean surveillance cameras in broad daylight embracing and appearing to kiss. Commenting on this, Ahn Chan-il, head of the World North Korea Research Center, said, “Judging from their uniforms, they appear to be officers. After serving over ten years without being able to go outside or have contact with women, they find a sort of release in homosexual-like acts within the military.”
