"Fight with courage"...Kim Jong-un's New Year's message for the dispatch of troops

"I don't know what to say to encourage and thank my comrades for their dedication and hard work, which continues to be a strong battle fire even in the new year."

The Washington Post (WP), a leading U.S. daily, reported on the 19th local time after obtaining a New Year's message that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un seems to have sent to North Korean soldiers dispatched to Ukraine.

In his letter, Kim praised the soldiers for their hard work and said, "Friends! I really miss you. Please don't forget for a moment that I keep praying and praying for everyone to come back healthy and safe."

He added, "I hope everyone will be healthy and fight with more courage until the day we unite the imposed military mission triumphantly."

At the end of the letter with this message, it was written, "Kim Jong-un 12.31."

The letter, containing Kim Jong-un's New Year's message, was reportedly found in the Kursk region of Russia, where Ukraine and Russia have recently been engaged in a fierce battle.

In response to the letter, written in blue-ink handwriting, the Washington Post said, "It could have been sent to soldiers from Pyongyang, or the commander read Kim Jong-un's message aloud and wrote it down."

A small notebook obtained from a North Korean soldier last week by a Ukrainian special forces unit was filled with lyrics of a North Korean song inspiring patriotism, including "Song to the Fatherland."

"The fact that the North Korean military carries these messages in their pockets during their mission shows that they are much more ideologically motivated than the Russian military," the Washington Post said.

In addition, there were many documents held by North Korean soldiers that detailed their combat experiences, the WP said.

Some of the North Korean military documents collected by Ahmed Khan, an American businessman who has supported Ukrainian special forces, include the need to keep an eye on the ability of Ukrainian drones to kill.

"In the modern war, where real-time reconnaissance and drone strikes take place, failure to disperse combat groups into small battalions of two or three could result in significant casualties due to enemy drone attacks and saturation," one document said.

Some of the North Korean military documents criticized the killing of Ukrainian soldiers trying to surrender, ultimately stimulating the Ukrainian military and prolonging the war.

In addition, it was pointed out as a problem that additional casualties occurred while trying to rescue a fellow wounded soldier from the battlefield.

A Ukrainian special forces officer who dealt with the North Korean military said the North Korean military was "learning from mistakes."

Introducing the North Korean military documents, the WP said, "It seems that we are recording our combat experiences in detail and using them to enhance our understanding of new technologies," adding, "We are considering sending troops to Ukraine as an opportunity to gain practical war experiences in preparation for future conflicts with the West."

Meanwhile, in Kursk, Russia, where the Russian and Ukrainian sides have been fiercely fighting, the WP said, North Korean troops have rarely been seen on the battlefield recently.

Kursk is a western Russian city where Ukrainian forces advanced and occupied parts of the city in August last year, and Russian and North Korean forces have been fighting to recapture it.

The WP said in response, "The North Korean military is reorganizing its lines and reviewing future movements, or it may reflect that the number of injured is significant and the fatigue of the war is severe."

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and as of the 9th of this month, the casualties are estimated to be about 4,000.