Nearly 200 defectors from North Korea, who previously served in the local army, want to volunteer to go to Ukraine, reports the Hong Kong newspaper “South China Morning Post”. As they claim, they want to wage a “psychological war” there against the soldiers sent to war on Russia's side by the regime in Pyongyang.
The South China Morning Post reports on Monday that a group of almost 200 former North Korean soldiers who fled to the South are willing to volunteer for Ukraine. This is supposed to be their reaction to reports that Kim Jong Un's regime has sent its troops to Russiato go to the front with Ukraine. Sending thousands of regular, North Korean soldiers to Russia was confirmed by the head of NATO on the same day.
Former military personnel declare that they want to start a “psychological war” against them, thereby helping Ukraine fight the aggressor.
SEE ALSO: A close adviser to Kim in Russia. He was given a special task
Former North Korean soldiers want to help Ukraine
According to “SCMP”, each of those willing to participate in this project has experience in the army of between seven and ten years. They want to use their knowledge of the internal situation in the North Korean military to weaken the morale of soldiers who are to fight against Ukraine, knowing their psychological weaknesses.
– We are military veterans who understand the military culture and psychological conditions in North Korea better than anyone else – said 69-year-old prof. Ahn Chan-il, former North Korean soldier and current scientist and president of the World Institute for North Korea Studies. – We are ready to go wherever needed to act as “psychological warfare agents,” he added.
In his opinion, the group could help in persuading North Korean soldiers to flee their homeland – including those who could end up in Ukrainian captivity. – Most North Korean soldiers, including elite special forces, suffer from food shortages and malnutrition. The soldiers seen in parades on TV are selected units, the absolute top of the entire population, he emphasized.
Open letter to the President of Ukraine
Another of the group of former North Korean soldiers, Lee Min-bok, sent an open letter to the Ukrainian embassy in Seoul, in which he asked President Volodymyr Zelensky to allow such a mission. As he writes, the soldiers who have just been sent to Russia are treated by Pyongyang as “cannon fodder”. – North Korean soldiers are actually mercenaries there, but we would go as volunteers on a goodwill mission. Our presence in Ukraine could significantly affect the morale of North Korean soldiers, he emphasized.
As he noted in an open letter, “North Korean soldiers can find hope and courage in our presence in Ukraine, which will inspire them to cross the border in search of freedom.” According to “Ukrainian Today”, the Ukrainian embassy in Seoul has not yet publicly commented on this letter.
North Korean soldiers in Russia
In recent days, South Korean intelligence reported that North Korea sent about 3,000 to Russia. soldiers, and a total of 10,000 of them are to be sent there by the end of the year. On Thursday, Ukrainian intelligence reported that the first North Korean soldiers had already been sent to the Kursk Oblast in western Russia, where the Ukrainian army has been conducting an offensive since August 6.
– The deployment of North Korean troops in Russia is a “significant escalation” of the war waged by Russia against Ukraine – stressed the head of NATO, Mark Rutteand called on Russia and North Korea to immediately stop these actions.
Main photo source: General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Facebook