this post was submitted on 28 Dec 2024
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382
“I betrayed my Party”: Ukrainian forces make public diary of killed North Korean soldier – photo (www.pravda.com.ua)
submitted 5 months ago by Hubi@feddit.org to c/world@lemmy.world
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[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 170 points 5 months ago (2 children)

The United States said that North Korean soldiers fighting against Ukraine on the side of Russia in Kursk Oblast are committing suicide to avoid being captured by the Ukrainian defence forces.

Christ. It's doubly heartbreaking that life as a POW might actually be the highest standard of living they would've experienced thus far had they just been captured.

[–] skygirl@lemmy.world 44 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The problem is what happens to their family if they're reported as captured :(

[–] jonne 9 points 5 months ago

They could probably live in some sort of witness protection situation in South Korea, but I guess that's still a shitty life if you want to see your family again.

[–] TheFriar@lemm.ee 4 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Well, the party and those who faithfully serve it probably live a pretty nice life. I’m assuming, based on other totalitarian parties throughout history.

[–] fine_sandy_bottom@lemmy.federate.cc 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Ah, yeah but not at the lower levels like this soldier.

I feel certain that any allegiance he expressed was to protect the well being of his family, rather than a genuine position.

[–] TheFriar@lemm.ee 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

That makes sense, you’re probably right

[–] Cosmonauticus@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago

Remember the solider who escaped by crashing the border? Dude was infested with parasites and malnourished. My guess is the only military personnel living well are no less than a General

[–] eugenevdebs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 4 months ago

And now Trump is going to ensure the same here.

[–] user224@lemmy.sdf.org 120 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I know this is kind of an overused meme, but this does sound like something from 1984 by George Orwell.

I was raised in the nurturing embrace of the Party, studying without concern for anything in the world.

However, I betrayed my beloved Party, which had placed its trust in me, and committed acts of ingratitude against the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
The sins I’ve committed are unforgivable, but my homeland has given me a chance for redemption, a fresh start in life.

[–] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 66 points 5 months ago (2 children)

So disturbing. It has literally only taken from their people en masse, guzzling Hennesey and fine French wines while everyone else starves

[–] hydroptic@sopuli.xyz 54 points 5 months ago

Tankie paradise

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 12 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

It's a weird place. From what I've heard, at this point it's more like a giant plantation or a resource colony (with no foreign overlords) than a normal dictatorship. The three sectors of the economy are policing the common people, making stuff for export (often on the black market and often globally illegal stuff) and making nukes to protect from foreign adversaries. The money from exports goes to grain, and luxury items for a separate elite that doesn't even like to stay in the country, let alone be part of it.

[–] Ab_intra@lemmy.world 36 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It's insane that that book is proven to be right time and time again. I just hope Putin will stop his agression with Ukraine and not move forward in east after this was is complete.

[–] friend_of_satan@lemmy.world 11 points 5 months ago

100% agree. I was recently thinking about the Two Minutes Hate and how polarized our politics are these days.

In re-directing the members' subconscious feelings away from the Party's governance of Oceania and toward non-existent external enemies, the Party minimises thoughtcrime and the consequent subversive behaviours of thoughtcriminals.

Wag The Dog.

[–] misterdoctor@lemmy.world 11 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Do we know what “sins” he is referring to, that he believed he needed to redeem himself over?

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 11 points 5 months ago

Probably got caught not believing all this stuff in private, and listening to k-pop or something. Off to war you go...

[–] MutilationWave@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The propaganda of the regime is that the old Kim and the new Kim are godlike. They can read your thoughts and catch you if you deviate from the plan. Of course most adult North Koreans aren't stupid enough to believe this. It's like believing in Santa Claus culturally.

The problem is that the state is almost godlike. They will come into your home and check for unapproved media. They will take your children away and ask them in a detention center what mommy and daddy did that was bad.

They will send your ass to the frontline of a Russian war of conquest and kill your family if you are captured.

[–] jaggedrobotpubes@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They can read your thoughts and catch you if you deviate from the plan

Oh, like parents and teachers and pastors. This actually makes that whole shitshow much more normal.

But like in the worst sense.

[–] MutilationWave@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago

It sounds like you're coming out from a controlled part of life? Did your parents teach you they could read your thoughts? I'm sorry.

[–] Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca 60 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (3 children)

It's honestly pretty fucking sad. It's a bummer to see how many people on this planet become willful (sometimes) cannon fodder for some perceived glory that feels bigger than them, but in reality, their motherland is often just another gluttonous vampire slowly feeding on their necks and humming songs of heroism into the victim's ear.

This man's vampire probably watched his family starve with indifference, and then after this guy committed some sort of crime of desperation, it pulled him close, stroked his hair, and whispered that there was still a way to make it up to him. To make it up to all of them. And my, how proud you'll make the motherland.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 30 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I don't think it is wilful in this case. This is someone who was raised in North Korea, fed propaganda and Juche his entire life, and this is the result.

It's similar to why Vikings wanted to die in battle and go to Valhalla. Because that's how you're supposed to sacrifice yourself. And if you do it wrong, you've let Odin down.

The only difference here really is that the All-Father is the Respected Comrade.

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Why would you want to go to Valhalla, Folkvangr sounds much nicer.

The trouble here is that NK state religion is monotheistic.

[–] Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I'm a Valheim guy myself. Pretty relaxing life out in the Meadows.

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee 2 points 5 months ago

The meadow part should be Folkvangr, you're hanging out with Freya there. Valheim the game world as far as I can tell (didn't actually play the game) incorporates pretty much all of the Yggdrasil worlds.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 5 months ago

He also implied that being sent to Ukraine was punishment for something.

[–] themadcodger@kbin.earth 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Things like this always make me think of Sagan's Pale Blue Dot. All this death and hatred for what?

[–] hanrahan@slrpnk.net 1 points 4 months ago

I'm reminded of Harry Patch

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/aug/01/first-world-war-harry-patch

Mr Patch, a Passchendaele survivor, thought all war was organised murder and refused to talk about it at all until a few years before he died,

[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 33 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I wouldn't be surprised if ready made diaries were added to some of the soldiers' inventories to use it as an opportunity for propaganda and PR in case they died and someone found and publicized them.

[–] perestroika@lemm.ee 11 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

While that is possible, I believe Ukrainians have South Korean assistance for analysis and a lot of expertise of their own. In case of a diary, you can use old-school detective work - you look for progressively great wear towards the beginning. You look for stains and grease on older pages. Such things are difficult to manufacture in a quantity.

And, besides, it would not be very motivating for a soldier to carry a fake diary on the assumption that it's going to be recovered from his body. I think they want their folks a bit better motivated than that. :)

[–] MutilationWave@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

Damn, username checks out.

[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

To make it more believable I think you should in fact not mass produce it but perhaps just have 10 or so of them in 10000 or so soldiers.

The soldiers which carry the diaries can still be brainwashed to an extent such that they are super happy to be the "chosen ones" to carry the diary. It is a much better look on your country if your soldiers look like emotional deep thinkers attached to their country by very strong feelings of love and gratitude rather than brainwashed suicidal cannon fodder.

I do think it is a bit of a stretch but I wouldn't put it past North Korea. It is the same level of propaganda as publicising a video of millions of North Koreans crying and fainting after Kim Jong II died.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

Will North Korea even buy this?

It could easily be faked. That's what I'd do the North Koreans if you get them alive; put their minds at ease for their families back home by publicising the "death" of the soldier so there's less chance of reprisals.

But more likely it's just the NK actually do believe their propagandaa so...

[–] Doom@ttrpg.network -3 points 5 months ago

Very strange reads a lot like those people from Book of the New Sun