North Korea Refuses to Repatriate Ukraine War Dead, Fearing Civil Unrest
North Korea’s refusal to repatriate the bodies of its soldiers killed fighting in Ukraine stems from a deep-seated fear of the potential for widespread civil unrest. The sheer number of casualties – estimated by South Korean intelligence to be around 300 dead and 2,700 injured – presents an insurmountable challenge to the regime’s carefully crafted propaganda. The government’s silence on the deployment of troops to Ukraine makes the return of the dead even more problematic.
The return of hundreds of corpses would shatter the illusion of invincibility and military success that the North Korean government meticulously cultivates. Families learning of the deaths of their sons and husbands would likely be devastated, and the sheer scale of the loss could trigger widespread anger and potentially even organized protests.… Continue reading
Matt Underwood 
John Q. Hosedrinker