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The Wall Street Journal has reported North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un might have younger soldiers in Russia, aged under 20 and without appropriate military training. The publication reports that video evidence and intelligence reports suggest that the North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia are likely young men under the age of 20 who are "in the early stages of military conscription".
The Wall Street Journal reported that these soldiers’ training has focused on assassinations and infrastructure destruction in the mountainous regions of South Korea, "a far cry from the trench warfare unfolding in the flat plains along the Ukrainian-Russian border". Most of these recruits have probably never left North Korea, and the country’s army is equipped with outdated conventional equipment.
The report said that South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong-Hyun, assessing the military, called them "mere cannon fodder mercenaries". The US, South Korea, and Ukraine estimate that approximately 3,000 North Korean troops have arrived in Russia this month. Former South Korean defence official James J.B. Park suggests that North Korea’s Kim Jong Un may want to first gauge the domestic reaction to this decision, as well as the Kremlin’s response, by sending what he considers to be a "relatively expendable" resource.
The report added that Park believes that if Russian leader Vladimir Putin demands additional reinforcements or Kim decides to fulfil recently strengthened bilateral commitments, these troops will pave the way for more experienced units. The WSJ also reported that it is still unclear what role the North Korean military will play in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Without taking part in hostilities, they could gain experience by observing the use of drones and the conditions of war, especially in cooperation with the Russians, who use North Korean munitions and missiles.
On the other hand, North Korea’s direct involvement in hostilities would signal a dramatic escalation of the conflict, which has been going on for over two years, the US and NATO allies have said. The first North Korean military units that have undergone training at training grounds in eastern Russia have arrived in the war zone. They were spotted in Russia's Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian forces are conducting an operation. North Korean military personnel, whom Russia intends to use in the war against Ukraine, have several weeks to train.
Ukrainian intelligence added that the number of North Korean troops deployed to Russia is currently around 12,000, including 500 officers, particularly three Pyongyang generals.
Watch the report coverage via the YouTube link.
The Wall Street Journal reported that these soldiers’ training has focused on assassinations and infrastructure destruction in the mountainous regions of South Korea, "a far cry from the trench warfare unfolding in the flat plains along the Ukrainian-Russian border". Most of these recruits have probably never left North Korea, and the country’s army is equipped with outdated conventional equipment.
The report said that South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong-Hyun, assessing the military, called them "mere cannon fodder mercenaries". The US, South Korea, and Ukraine estimate that approximately 3,000 North Korean troops have arrived in Russia this month. Former South Korean defence official James J.B. Park suggests that North Korea’s Kim Jong Un may want to first gauge the domestic reaction to this decision, as well as the Kremlin’s response, by sending what he considers to be a "relatively expendable" resource.
The report added that Park believes that if Russian leader Vladimir Putin demands additional reinforcements or Kim decides to fulfil recently strengthened bilateral commitments, these troops will pave the way for more experienced units. The WSJ also reported that it is still unclear what role the North Korean military will play in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Without taking part in hostilities, they could gain experience by observing the use of drones and the conditions of war, especially in cooperation with the Russians, who use North Korean munitions and missiles.
On the other hand, North Korea’s direct involvement in hostilities would signal a dramatic escalation of the conflict, which has been going on for over two years, the US and NATO allies have said. The first North Korean military units that have undergone training at training grounds in eastern Russia have arrived in the war zone. They were spotted in Russia's Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian forces are conducting an operation. North Korean military personnel, whom Russia intends to use in the war against Ukraine, have several weeks to train.
Ukrainian intelligence added that the number of North Korean troops deployed to Russia is currently around 12,000, including 500 officers, particularly three Pyongyang generals.
Watch the report coverage via the YouTube link.
