SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Thousands of young soldiers, mostly elite special forces, sent by North Korea to Russia to help fight Ukraine are being slaughtered for their incompetence in combat. There is no end to speculation that this may be the case. They may be inexperienced, unfamiliar with the terrain, and thrown into the fiercest battlefields.
That may be true, and soon. Observers said troops had already arrived at the front. But from North Korea’s perspective, these soldiers may not be as dire as outsiders think. According to former North Korean soldiers, they may actually be proud of their visit to Russia, seeing it as a rare opportunity to earn a lot of money, visit a foreign country for the first time, and win preferential treatment for their families back home. That’s what it means.
"They will be too young to understand exactly what it means. They will consider it an honor to be chosen out of many North Korean soldiers to go to Russia.” ” said Lee Eun-gil, a former member of the same special forces “Assault Team”. He came to Korea in 2007. “But most of them probably won’t make it home alive.”
Concerns about North Korea’s possible participation in the Russia-Ukraine war continued this week, with the Pentagon saying North Korea is sending about 10,000 troops to Russia and will likely fight Ukraine “over the coming weeks.” This became clear when it was announced. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Monday that some North Korean military troops were already stationed in Russia’s Kursk border region, where Russia is struggling with its invasion of Ukraine.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said on Monday that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia to support the nearly three-year-old war against Ukraine and have already set up operations in Russia’s Kursk border region, where Russia is struggling to stop an invasion of Ukraine. It was confirmed that the department was deployed.
North Korea’s troop dispatch could signal a serious escalation in the nearly three-year war. The incident surprised many outside observers, as North Korea faces security concerns amid escalating tensions with the United States and South Korea over its nuclear program.
The heavy casualties in North Korea’s military would be a major political blow to the country’s ruler, Kim Jong Un, now 40 years old. But experts say Kim may see this as a way to get much-needed foreign currency and security support from Russia in return for joining Russia’s war against Ukraine. are.
“Kim Jong-un is taking a big gamble. Unless there are too many casualties, he will get what he wants to a certain extent. But if many soldiers die in battle, the situation will change dramatically.” said Ahn Chang-il, a former North Korean army lieutenant and current director of the World North Korea Research Institute, a think tank in Seoul.
The Storm Corps, also known as the 11th Corps, is one of Kim’s top forces. Its main mission would be to infiltrate South Korea with operatives, blow up important South Korean facilities, and assassinate key figures in the event of war on the Korean peninsula.
Lee, who served in the assault force from 1998 to 2003, recalled that although his unit received better food and supplies than other units, many members still suffered from malnutrition and tuberculosis. .
Despite North Korea’s economy gradually recovering over the past 30 years, defectors say the average monthly salary for civilian workers and soldiers in North Korea is less than $1 a month. The country’s state rationing system remains largely broken, so many people engage in capitalist market activities to make a living, they say.
Russia is expected to cover all costs associated with sending North Korean troops, including wages, which observers say will amount to at least $2,000 per month per person. Approximately 90% to 95% of their scholarships will go into Kim’s coffers, with the rest likely going to the soldiers. This means that for a year of service in Russia, a North Korean soldier would earn between $1,200 and $2,400. This is large enough to encourage many young soldiers to volunteer for the dangerous Russian expedition, former soldiers say.
Ahn said North Korea could possibly offer members of the ruling Workers’ Party or other incentives aimed at improving the social status of its soldiers, such as the right to move to Pyongyang, the country’s flagship capital. He said it was highly sexual. Kang Mi-jin, a North Korean defector who runs a company that analyzes the North Korean economy, said that even if you are the family of a soldier sent to Russia, you may be given perks such as a good home and admission to a good university. he said.
Choi Jong-hoon, a former lieutenant in the North Korean army, said serving in a foreign country will attract many soldiers who want to see another country for the first time.
North Koreans are prohibited from accessing foreign news and need state permission to move from one state to another. North Korean construction workers, loggers and other workers sent overseas to bring in foreign currency are often referred to as “slaves” by international human rights groups. But defectors say these overseas jobs are often better than remaining in North Korea, and that many obtained them through bribes or family connections.
“North Korean soldiers will consider going to Russia a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Ahn said.
Ang and other observers say that view could change if soldiers see their colleagues dying in large numbers. They say many North Korean soldiers may surrender to Ukrainian forces and seek resettlement in South Korea.
North Korean soldiers are trained in the mountainous regions of the Korean peninsula and are unaccustomed to the mostly flat, plain battlefields of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Experts also say North Korea does not understand modern warfare, including the use of drones, because it has not engaged in major combat since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. do.
Choi, now the leader of an activist group in Seoul, said he was “heartbroken” after seeing a video from Ukraine that purportedly shows a small North Korean soldier, believed to be in his late teens or early 20s. .
“No one would think of going to Russia to die,” Choi said. “But I think they are cannon fodder because they are sent to the most dangerous places and are guaranteed to be killed.”
Kim Jong-un, the leader of the Korean Workers’ Party of Korea, may also be hoping that by providing troops, Russia will share the advanced and sensitive technology needed to perfect nuclear-capable missiles. . The transfer could depend on how long the war lasts and how many more troops Kim sends.
Nam Sung-wook, a former head of a think tank run by South Korea’s spy agency, said North Korea would likely earn hundreds of millions of dollars in soldiers’ wages. He said the soldiers would experience modern warfare firsthand, but many would likely die, and Russia would be reluctant to hand over high-tech missile technology.
Nam, who is currently a professor at South Korea’s Korea University, said, “North Korea will continue to hide its troop dispatch from its own people, because they know that their own soldiers are being sent overseas to be killed.” That’s because the people of Japan will be excited.”
