North Korean soldier CAPTURED  giving Ukrainians precious hours to extract vital info before PoW ‘dies of battle wounds’

THE first North Korean soldier fighting in Vladimir Putin’s murderous war has been captured by Ukraine and reportedly died after divulging vital secrets.

This fighter was one of up to 12,000 prisoners transported to the frontline by tyrant Kim Jong-Un, in a bid to help his fellow dictator.

The soldier was captured and held in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine mounted a shock border incursion in August, on December 26.

A photograph shared on Telegram is believed to show the wounded Kim Jong-Un fighter alive, before his reported death.

This would have given Ukrainian troops hours to extract key military information and tactics from the prisoner of war.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service confirmed Pyongyang's fighter was captured but had died today.

The spy agency also revealed Kim’s transplant was found and taken while wounded.

The National Intelligence Service said: "It has been confirmed through an allied intelligence agency that the North Korean soldier captured alive on December 26th has just passed away due to worsening wounds."

South Korean authorities also confirmed the fighter was taken during a Ukrainian military operation in the Eastern oblast but did not confirm the exact location where he was seized.

Ukraine's militaery revealed the wealth of information and resources seized during this successful mission across the Russian border.

It wrote in a statement: "The Special Operations Forces conducted an operation to eliminate the enemy in the Kursk direction.

“In addition to successfully completing the mission, there were also trophies - prisoners, including a mercenary from Korea, as well as an armoured personnel carrier equipped with anti-cumulative protection.”

Although this soldier was the first North Korean to be taken by Ukrainian forces, Kyiv claimed 3,000 of Kim's men have been wiped out.

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the use of North Korean men in Putin's terrorist invasion, but neither Pyongyang nor Moscow have confirmed the presence of these troops on the frontline.

Zelensky said: “Russia is simply disposing of them in assaults.

“Why the Koreans should fight for Putin is a question that no normal person on Earth can answer.”

These North Korean fighters are reportedly given fake Russian documents implying they are from the Siberian region of Tuva.

Despite this, traces of these sacrificed men have been found in the tense battleground area.

Kyiv released a notebook found on one of Kim's dead men filled with apparent tactics.

This soldier detailed drone hunting methods, including drawings of tactics for shooting down the flying devices and hiding from Zelensky's troops.

One of these methods included forming a three-person team when a drone was spotted.

This involved leaving one fighter out to lure in the drone and keep two others around three metres behind to shoot the device down.

Another piece of evidence discovered was a haunting final diary entry written by one of these men, The Sun previously reported.

The 27-year-old fighter - Jeong Kyung-hong - penned a birthday message to his comrade Song Ji Myung [or Yong].

It was the soldier’s heartbreaking attempt to cling onto a remnant of normality amidst the warfare hell he had been thrust into.

He wrote: “I, having left my homeland, on unfamiliar Russian land, send birthday congratulations to my friend Song Ji-myung (Yong).

“I wish you health. December 9, 2024 – Jeong Kyung-hong.”

This is the first entry to be translated from the captured notebook, according to Ukrainian forces.

Injured North Korean soldiers have also reportedly been pictured receiving treatment in a Moscow military hospital.