At 17, Hyun-Seung Lee was drafted into the North Korean army, where he faced poor conditions and minimal meals. “Most soldiers wash their clothes and bathe in streams or rivers… They must collect firewood from nearby mountains for heating and cooking,” he recalls. Reports surfaced in October last year that North Korean soldiers were fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Now living in the US as a defector, Hyun-Seung Lee believes the soldiers are gaining valuable combat experience from the conflict. Journalist Jean Lee, who spent years reporting from North Korea, told Helen Pidd that the deployment of North Korean troops in Ukraine represents the latest chapter in the longstanding ties between Russia and the “hermit kingdom.” They discuss Pyongyang’s rapidly growing arms production, the implications for Kim Jong-un’s nuclear ambitions, and how this development reinforces a wider autocratic alliance.

Disclaimer: This Podcast is taken from The Guardian.