The British newspaper Daily Mail had to remove an article in which the reporter wrote falsely about "prove that North Korean female soldiers are supporting Russia in the conflict in Ukraine". The photo that the Daily Mail published was actually an edited photo.
The article, originally published by the British newspaper on December 4, said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had sent women "to fight as bulletproof steles in Ukraine".
The accusation was based on a photo of two women in military uniforms, allegedly taken in Zheleznogorsk, a large city in the northwest of Russia's Kursk region. The two women were identified as sisters "Wei and Lin".
The fake image was actually based on a photo cut from a video released by a Donetsk-linked channel last year, with the twin sisters telling the cameraman that they were 25 years old and from the city of Makeevka. Both claimed to have served in the army since 2014, initially as members of the Donetsk militia.
In a correction, the Daily Mail later said the photo was provided to the newspaper by a "reliable freelance reporter" and apologized for "causing confusion" by reporting false information.
Ukraine and its Western backers have been claiming for weeks that the North Korean military is helping Russia in Kursk province. US sources told the media that the unconfirmed deployment by Moscow and Pyongyang is a legitimate reason for licensing Ukraine to use Western-funded long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia.
Ukrainian soldiers interviewed by BBC recently expressed skepticism about claims that North Korean troops are present on the battlefield.
I have never seen or heard anything about North Koreans, whether they are alive or dead, one of the soldiers was quoted by BBC.
On October 21, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that cooperation between Russia and North Korea is not aimed at other countries, so there is no cause for concern.
On November 29, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov visited North Korea and held talks with North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang-chol, focusing on implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty that Russia and North Korea signed this year.
The treaty "is designed to play a balanced role in Northeast Asia, contributing positively to maintaining the balance of power in the region and reducing the risk of war breaking out again on the Korean Peninsula, including the use of nuclear weapons, laying the foundation for building a new Asia- Europe security system" - the Russian Defense Minister said at the talks.
