In an unprecedented move, an estimated 10,000 North Korean troops have arrived in Russia, with most amassing near the Ukrainian border in Kursk. As speculation swirls about their potential impact on the ongoing conflict, experts are questioning the military worth of these young, inexperienced soldiers who hail from a country known for widespread malnutrition and outdated weaponry.
A Historic Deployment Fraught with Uncertainty
The deployment of North Korean ground forces to a foreign war is a historic first for the isolated nation. While North Korea has previously sent advisors, pilots, and air force personnel to conflicts in Vietnam, Egypt, and Syria, this marks the first time a large combat force has been dispatched abroad since the Korean War in the early 1950s.
According to a NATO source, these soldiers, mostly in their late teens or early 20s, have been armed by Russia with an array of weapons including mortars, assault rifles, machine guns, and anti-tank missiles. However, their lack of combat experience and the stark differences between their mountainous homeland and the flat battlefields of Ukraine have led many to question their effectiveness.
Cannon Fodder or Game Changer?
Opinions are divided on what role these North Korean troops will play. Some see them as a much-needed boost for beleaguered Russian forces, who have suffered staggering casualties estimated at over 500,000 killed or wounded since the war began in February 2022. The arrival of fresh troops could potentially relieve pressure on Russia to further mobilize its own reluctant citizens.
Others, however, view the North Koreans as little more than cannon fodder – poorly trained, equipped, and fed soldiers who will be thrust into the most dangerous frontline positions with little chance of survival. Defectors from North Korea’s military paint a grim picture of widespread malnutrition and parasitic infections among the ranks, raising doubts about their combat readiness.
“They are too young and won’t understand exactly what it means,” said Lee Woong-gil, a former member of North Korea’s elite Storm Corps who defected in 2007. “They will just consider it an honour to be selected… But I think most of them are unlikely to come back home alive.”
– Lee Woong-gil, former North Korean Storm Corps member
A Gamble for Kim Jong-un
For North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the decision to send troops to Ukraine is a calculated risk. While the wages earned by these soldiers will primarily flow back to the regime, potentially providing hundreds of millions in much-needed foreign currency, significant casualties could deal a blow to Kim’s standing if the news were to leak past the country’s tightly controlled propaganda machine.
There is also speculation that the “blood alliance” between Moscow and Pyongyang could involve the transfer of sophisticated Russian weapons technology to North Korea in exchange for ammunition, missiles, and manpower. Such a deal could greatly enhance the North’s military capabilities, but at the cost of its soldiers’ lives.
The Human Cost of Geopolitical Maneuvering
As the world watches anxiously to see what impact the North Korean troops will have, it’s easy to lose sight of the human element. For the soldiers themselves, most of whom likely view their selection as an honour and an opportunity to improve their families’ standing, the reality of being thrust into a brutal foreign war as inexperienced cannon fodder is a tragic one.
“None would think they are going to Russia to die,” said Choi Jung-hoon, a former lieutenant in North Korea’s army who now leads an activist group in Seoul. “But I think they’re cannon fodder because they will be sent to the most dangerous sites. I’m sure they will be killed.”
– Choi Jung-hoon, former North Korean army lieutenant
As this “blood alliance” between two of the world’s most repressive regimes takes shape, the international community watches with bated breath to see how it will impact the trajectory of the war in Ukraine. But for the young North Korean soldiers caught in the middle, their fates may already be sealed – pawns in a much larger geopolitical struggle, far from home and woefully unprepared for the horrors that await them.
According to a NATO source, these soldiers, mostly in their late teens or early 20s, have been armed by Russia with an array of weapons including mortars, assault rifles, machine guns, and anti-tank missiles. However, their lack of combat experience and the stark differences between their mountainous homeland and the flat battlefields of Ukraine have led many to question their effectiveness.
Cannon Fodder or Game Changer?
Opinions are divided on what role these North Korean troops will play. Some see them as a much-needed boost for beleaguered Russian forces, who have suffered staggering casualties estimated at over 500,000 killed or wounded since the war began in February 2022. The arrival of fresh troops could potentially relieve pressure on Russia to further mobilize its own reluctant citizens.
Others, however, view the North Koreans as little more than cannon fodder – poorly trained, equipped, and fed soldiers who will be thrust into the most dangerous frontline positions with little chance of survival. Defectors from North Korea’s military paint a grim picture of widespread malnutrition and parasitic infections among the ranks, raising doubts about their combat readiness.
“They are too young and won’t understand exactly what it means,” said Lee Woong-gil, a former member of North Korea’s elite Storm Corps who defected in 2007. “They will just consider it an honour to be selected… But I think most of them are unlikely to come back home alive.”
– Lee Woong-gil, former North Korean Storm Corps member
A Gamble for Kim Jong-un
For North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the decision to send troops to Ukraine is a calculated risk. While the wages earned by these soldiers will primarily flow back to the regime, potentially providing hundreds of millions in much-needed foreign currency, significant casualties could deal a blow to Kim’s standing if the news were to leak past the country’s tightly controlled propaganda machine.
There is also speculation that the “blood alliance” between Moscow and Pyongyang could involve the transfer of sophisticated Russian weapons technology to North Korea in exchange for ammunition, missiles, and manpower. Such a deal could greatly enhance the North’s military capabilities, but at the cost of its soldiers’ lives.
The Human Cost of Geopolitical Maneuvering
As the world watches anxiously to see what impact the North Korean troops will have, it’s easy to lose sight of the human element. For the soldiers themselves, most of whom likely view their selection as an honour and an opportunity to improve their families’ standing, the reality of being thrust into a brutal foreign war as inexperienced cannon fodder is a tragic one.
“None would think they are going to Russia to die,” said Choi Jung-hoon, a former lieutenant in North Korea’s army who now leads an activist group in Seoul. “But I think they’re cannon fodder because they will be sent to the most dangerous sites. I’m sure they will be killed.”
– Choi Jung-hoon, former North Korean army lieutenant
As this “blood alliance” between two of the world’s most repressive regimes takes shape, the international community watches with bated breath to see how it will impact the trajectory of the war in Ukraine. But for the young North Korean soldiers caught in the middle, their fates may already be sealed – pawns in a much larger geopolitical struggle, far from home and woefully unprepared for the horrors that await them.
