„Unlike their Russian counterparts, they advance with almost no armored vehicles in support.“

„When they attack, they do not pause to regroup or retreat, as the Russians often do when they start taking heavy losses, Ukrainian soldiers and American officials say. Instead, they move under heavy fire across fields strewed with mines and will send in a wave of 40 or more troops.“

„They have also developed singular tactics and habits.“

„When combating a drone, the North Koreans send out one soldier as a lure so others can shoot it down.“

„If they are gravely wounded, they have been instructed to detonate a grenade to avoid being captured alive, holding it under the neck with one hand on the pin as Ukrainian soldiers approach.

„The North Koreans are largely special operations troops trained for surgical strike missions, she [Pentagon’s assistant secretary for international security affairs Celeste A. Wallander] said, but the Russians have basically used them as foot soldiers.“

„North Korea sent about 11,000 soldiers <...>. Since their first combat engagement in early December, roughly one-third of the North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded, Ukrainian and American officials said.“

„but he [Ukraine’s top military commander gen. Oleksandr Syrsky] warned that they were “highly motivated, well-trained” and “brave.”“

„The difficulties have ranged from minor issues, like finding uniforms small enough to fit North Korean soldiers, to communication problems that have led at least twice to North Korean and Russian forces clashing directly because of mistaken identity“

„“Now they’ve started composing groups that include a translator or someone who speaks Russian with a radio, but these groups are not very effective,”“

„“It’s just forward, forward,” he [Ukrainian commander Andrii] said. “It’s motivation, orders and strict discipline.”“

„The “shock brigade” tactic of soldiers advancing with little concern for the mayhem that awaits them is heavily featured in North Korean military training and propaganda.“

„the North would consider those losses a necessary cost of becoming more skilled in modern warfare.“

„“It feels like they specifically came here to die, and they know it themselves,” said Oleksii, a platoon commander.“

„“I wear the uniform of the revolution to protect the Supreme Commander,” he [a North Korean soldier] wrote. “I betrayed the Party that trusted me and committed ungrateful acts against the Supreme Commander. The sins I have committed are unforgivable, but my homeland has given me a path to redemption, a new start in life.”“

„The North Korean tactics have forced the Ukrainians to adapt.
For instance, drone pilots said they generally did not target individual North Koreans, hunting for groups instead.
And given the density of North Korean assaults, the standard procedure of placing anti-personnel mines about 15 meters apart does not work well. Now, soldiers said, they are trying to leave no more than five meters between mines.“

„Interestingly, Ukrainian soldiers said, the North Koreans try to remove their dead and wounded from the battlefield, which is different from the Russians.“

„They [North Korean generals posted at Russian command and control headquarters] synchronize with the troops in the field, so that the troops are not talking to their Russian counterparts, to try to reduce miscommunication.“

„Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Kursk said the North Korean tactics were costly but effective.“

„Capturing prisoners has proved challenging because North Koreans have been trained not to be taken alive, soldiers said, and Russian drone operators were always watching.
“If Russians see Koreans being captured, they use drones to finish them off — killing both the Koreans and our soldiers,” Oleksii said“

„Ukrainian soldiers said the North Koreans should not be underestimated.
“They are being tested, really tested,” said Andrii, the drone commander. They did not have combat experience, he said, but “now they are here, gaining it, and they are becoming very strong.”“

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/world/europe/north-korea-soldiers-ukraine.html