Gyeong Hong Jong, a North Korean special forces operative who was killed by Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) operatives in Kursk Oblast, has left behind a diary that is now being gradually translated. His notes reveal that North Korea has sent elite fighters to Russia.
"I was raised in the nurturing embrace of the Party, studying without concern for anything in the world. There is more unknown love than love that is known and accepted. I didn’t know how to react to the happiness I was surrounded by.
Defending the homeland is the sacred duty of every citizen, and the greatest duty is to protect the nation, which is where my happiness lies. I wear the military uniform of revolution to protect the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. I was honoured with the opportunity to be promoted to sergeant major in my company. However, I betrayed my beloved Party, which had placed its trust in me, and committed acts of ingratitude against the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
The sins I’ve committed are unforgivable, but my homeland has given me a chance for redemption, a fresh start in life.
Now, I have no choice but to regain the trust I once had. I will go to the front lines in this operation and obey the orders of Supreme Commander Kim Jong Un without question, even if it costs me my life. I will show the world the invincible courage and sacrifice of the Red Special Forces (Red Commanders) of Kim Jong Un.
When we win the war and return to our homeland, I will submit a petition to the Party."
Is this how humans write diaries? It sounds very artificial, like the narration at the start of some movies or the scenes where to inform the viewer, characters tell each other things that, in context, they would already know.
I suspect that this is not genuine and that it is intended to sound genuinely heroic (by North Korean standards). Maybe it’s North Korean propaganda or maybe it’s something this guy actually wrote, but as a display of his loyalty rather than as a record of his thoughts. (I expect that he would know better than to write down anything other than a display of loyalty.)
It’s partially translation issues. Maybe double translated from Korean - > Ukrainian - > English? North Korean is supposedly becoming its own dialect, as well.
That said, there’s a lot in there that sounds like the individual giving their whole personality over to the group. More so than a normal military. That comes right out of the BITE model, what’s more commonly called “cults”.
Full text of diary entry:
"I was raised in the nurturing embrace of the Party, studying without concern for anything in the world. There is more unknown love than love that is known and accepted. I didn’t know how to react to the happiness I was surrounded by.
Defending the homeland is the sacred duty of every citizen, and the greatest duty is to protect the nation, which is where my happiness lies. I wear the military uniform of revolution to protect the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. I was honoured with the opportunity to be promoted to sergeant major in my company. However, I betrayed my beloved Party, which had placed its trust in me, and committed acts of ingratitude against the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
The sins I’ve committed are unforgivable, but my homeland has given me a chance for redemption, a fresh start in life.
Now, I have no choice but to regain the trust I once had. I will go to the front lines in this operation and obey the orders of Supreme Commander Kim Jong Un without question, even if it costs me my life. I will show the world the invincible courage and sacrifice of the Red Special Forces (Red Commanders) of Kim Jong Un.
When we win the war and return to our homeland, I will submit a petition to the Party."
Is this how humans write diaries? It sounds very artificial, like the narration at the start of some movies or the scenes where to inform the viewer, characters tell each other things that, in context, they would already know.
I suspect that this is not genuine and that it is intended to sound genuinely heroic (by North Korean standards). Maybe it’s North Korean propaganda or maybe it’s something this guy actually wrote, but as a display of his loyalty rather than as a record of his thoughts. (I expect that he would know better than to write down anything other than a display of loyalty.)
High probability that he fully expected state security to look through it.
It’s partially translation issues. Maybe double translated from Korean - > Ukrainian - > English? North Korean is supposedly becoming its own dialect, as well.
That said, there’s a lot in there that sounds like the individual giving their whole personality over to the group. More so than a normal military. That comes right out of the BITE model, what’s more commonly called “cults”.