It appears as if some North Korean soldiers are taking advantage of unfiltered internet access for the first time in a rather strange way, making the most of their time stationed in Russia.
The limitations imposed on the citizens of North Korea by the autocratic state have been well documented, as it remains one of the few isolated nations in the world - and certainly the most infamous.
Most aren't allowed the leave the country, and receive heavily censored and propagandized information from the government. On top of this, their internet access is heavily restricted, leaving them with little knowledge of what happens outside of their country.
North Korean troops stationed in Russia to aid Putin's war effort have been granted access to unfettered internet access for the first time in their lives, however, and the result has been rather strange, if not ultimately predictable.
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As reported in a post on X by Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commenter for the Financial Times, it appears as if these North Korean soldiers situated in Russia are "gorging on pornography," after surfing on the waves of the world wide web for the very first time.
This has been somewhat disputed by Army Lt. Col. Charlie Dietz, as reported by Task & Purpose, stating: "As entertaining as that sounds, I can't confirm any North Korean internet habits or virtual 'extracurriculars' in Russia."
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Of course, this claim relies heavily on the veracity of Rachman's source, which he claims to be 'usually reliable', but how they would know the 'private' goings of soldiers is yet to be confirmed. Perhaps the soldiers' excitement for such explicit content is hard for them to contain - although I'd rather not know either way!
The social media response to this has predictably been split between endless crude jokes and questions over the validity of such an absurd claim.
One user remarks on a post in the r/northkorea subreddit that "they came, they saw, they..... came again," whereas another joked that "they're already up to par with the US army in this aspect at least."
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Many are tired of such absurd allegations surrounding North Korea though, with one commenter arguing that this report is "about as trustworthy as Yeonmi Park," where another argues that "I hate NK's regime, but I'm so tired of this slew of nonsense propaganda about [them] ever since their involvement in Russia."
Regardless of whether you believe Rachman's report, it is a rather bizarre situation to consider, and comments perhaps on the lengths people will go once they escape restrictions.