Residents of North Korea Imitate Tuberculosis to Avoid Going to War in Ukraine – Newsweek.

According to Ukrainian media, residents of North Korea are using illegal methods to keep their sons from military service and deployment to the front line in Ukraine. They pay doctors for fake medical certificates for tuberculosis that exempt their sons from military duties. This service costs a lot of money and exceeds the average monthly salary.

According to a report by Newsweek, the cost of such counterfeit certificates has risen so much that many families are still willing to pay for them. They fear that their sons will die in the war.

According to the USA and South Korea, about 12,000 North Korean soldiers have already been sent to Russia, particularly to the Kursk direction. It should be noted that the North Korean army is one of the largest in the world, with a service term of 10 years for men and 5 years for women.

Relatives of deceased soldiers do not receive reliable information about the causes of their loved ones' deaths. The certificates state that the soldiers died during special combat exercises in honor of the Motherland, without mentioning that they were actually fighting as part of the Russian army.

Previously, the North Korean army was withdrawn from the front line after significant losses in Kursk.

During the fighting in Ukraine, Ukrainian troops killed the commander of a North Korean army company, and their equipment was discovered, including a Chinese radio, grenades, and two types of weapons – the AK-12 automatic rifle and the 'Vepr-12' shotgun. Experts believe that the physical training of North Korean soldiers allows them to carry such heavy loads.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier stated that 4,000 out of 12,000 North Korean soldiers have already died in Kursk.

ISW analysts assert that if North Korean soldiers continue to suffer losses, their numbers in the Kursk region may decrease by mid-April 2025.