Kim Jong Un's regime sent Russia the best-trained special forces units “Storm”, but in the first battles more than a thousand soldiers were killed or injured – The New York Times reported on Monday. In total, the president of Ukraine said, more than three thousand Koreans had died on the front. As the American daily points out, such losses result from the poor preparation of Kim's soldiers to fight in conditions such as those prevailing on the Russian-Ukrainian front. The problem is, for example, the terrain, or even the lack of knowledge of the language and problems with communication with Russians.
The North Korean army has 1.3 million soldiers and is one of the world's largest conventional armed forces, reports “NYT”. However, the daily notes that North Korean special forces are trained for urban or mountainous combat, bomb disposal and infiltration missions. They were not prepared to fight against infantry, in a different terrain and in a situation when the enemy uses drones, as is the case on the Ukrainian-Russian front.
According to the president Ukraine More than three thousand of Kim's soldiers have already been killed or wounded in fighting on his side Russia. “There is a risk that North Korea will send additional troops and military equipment to the Russian army,” Zelensky said on Platform X after receiving a report from his top military commander, Oleksandr Syrski.
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North Korean soldiers not integrated with Russian ones
Doo Jin-ho, an analyst at the Korea Institute of Defense Analyzes in Seoul, explained in an interview with “NYT” that the North Korean soldiers, sent to Russia in a hurry, were not trained for positional warfare, fighting in trenches or on the plain.
This rush also meant that North Korean soldiers could not be integrated into Russian units. They were taught only a few basic military phrases, such as “open fire” or “take position,” which causes communication problems at the front, South Korean intelligence said.
Moreover, both commanders and rank-and-file soldiers have not had real combat experience for several decades, and the generals were decimated when a young man took power in the country in 2011 after his father. Kim Jong Unwho decided to subordinate the army to his “reign of terror”.
North Korean Army (illustrative photo)Astrelok/Shutterstock
“For them, this expedition is a hope for big profits”
The North Korean military is the backbone of a cruel regime, but it also has a privileged position. The soldiers sent to Russia are not only highly trained, but also the most indoctrinated and determined. For them, this expedition is a hope for big profits, a career and faster entry into the ranks of the ruling party, which is “a very desirable status symbol,” noted “NYT.”
For the North Korean leader, providing such support to Russia is part of his efforts to gain a better diplomatic position and an attempt to use the war to train troops and acquire military know-how. Pyongyang therefore intends to send further troops to Russia, the daily explained.
Ukrainian intelligence believes that North Korea's military support for Russia threatens not only Ukraine, but also South Korea and Japanbecause although some soldiers will die in Ukraine, others will return with combat experience, able to train subsequent units in modern combat techniques.
North Korean soldier (illustrative photo)Astrelok/Shutterstock
PAP, Reuters, New York Times
Main photo source: Astrelok/Shutterstock