Hardened soldiers, indeed.
North Korean military men who joined the war front in Ukraine on behalf of Russia have unfettered internet access for the first time — and may be using it to watch tons of pornography, according to a report that a Pentagon official was unable to confirm.
Warriors from the hermit kingdom engaged in battle in Ukraine for the first time Monday — but they purportedly started fighting different demons before stepping foot onto any field, according to a report.
Those soldiers have been engaged in a battle of the bulge since gaining free use of the internet, according to a correspondent from the Financial Times.
“A usually reliable source tells me that the North Korean soldiers who have deployed to Russia have never had unfettered access to the internet before. As a result, they are gorging on pornography,” wrote Financial Times foreign affairs commentator Gideon Rachman in an X post.
Rachman provided no more context on how his source would know the internet habits of the 10,000 North Korean soldiers sent by Kim Jong Un to bolster Putin’s war effort.
“As entertaining as that sounds, I can’t confirm any North Korean internet habits or virtual ‘extracurriculars’ in Russia,” Defense Department spokesperson Army Lt. Col. Charlie Dietz told outlet Task and Purpose.
“We’re focused on the more serious aspects of North Korea’s involvement, if any, in Russia’s military operations. As for internet access, that’s a question best directed to Moscow. Right now, our attention remains on supporting Ukraine and addressing the more significant regional security concerns.”
That military publication reports that second-and third-order effects of exposing psychologically and culturally sheltered North Korean troops to the world of graphic internet pornography are not yet known.
The Kremlin did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
