Men in North Korea are purchasing fake illness certificates to evade conscription into the Russian war.

Residents of North Korea are resorting to purchasing fake medical documents to avoid being sent to Russia.

Source. This was reported by Newsweek.

It is reported that families are spending 100 times more than their average monthly salary to obtain false tuberculosis diagnoses for their male relatives to keep them from being sent to the front lines.

According to Radio Free Asia, over the past year, the cost of bribing medical workers for a fake tuberculosis certificate has increased fivefold – from $100 to $500. Considering that the average monthly salary of a North Korean civil servant ranges from $1 to $3, this poses a significant financial burden. Nevertheless, many families are willing to pay to prevent their loved ones from being sent to battle.

Families of the deceased receive official death certificates stating that their relatives died during the “sacred combat training in honor of the Motherland,” without specifying the actual circumstances of their deaths.

According to estimates from the United States and South Korea, the North Korean authorities have already sent up to 12,000 soldiers to Russia.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that North Korea is preparing for another wave of military deployments. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) predicts that additional troops could be sent as early as mid-March, with potential monthly casualties reaching 45,000.

Alina Hrytsenko, an analyst at the National Institute for Strategic Studies of Ukraine, noted that North Korea's involvement seems to be aimed more at enhancing its own military capabilities rather than supporting Russia's objectives.

Previously, The New York Times reported that North Korean troops had disappeared from the front lines after suffering significant losses. According to Ukrainian and American officials, they have not been seen on the battlefield for about two weeks.