Reports of North Korea sending 3500 of its suicide-ready troops as part of Russian assistance to Ukraine have raised serious alarm bells in South Korea.
The reports indicate that these troops sent by Pyongyang are willing to kill themselves in the battleground rather than be captured by the enemy Ukrainian forces.
Yu Yong-Weon, a South Korean lawmaker, has confirmed that 3,500 additional North Korean soldiers were undergoing training in Russia’s Far East.
This would be a second batch from North Korea after the country has already aided Moscow with 1,500 in January and February to replace those killed or wounded among the 11,000 initially sent in October to the western Russian city of Kursk, said Yu.
“About 3,500 North Korean soldiers are undergoing field adaptation training in five different locations in Russia’s Far East, and there is a possibility of a third deployment,” Yu told reporters here in Seoul.
He said the intelligence was shared by Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine’s defence intelligence, which was received by him during his trip to Ukraine from February 23 to 26.
About 400 North Korean troops had been killed in action so far, Yu said. Of the 3,600 North Koreans who were wounded, 300 returned to the front lines after their recovery, he added.
Ukraine has estimated about 63,000 Russian and North Korean troops fighting as a joint unit in Kursk, with some units consisting exclusively of North Korean soldiers.
The general assessment was that North Korean soldiers were physically strong and fearless, Yu said. Ukrainian officers were often baffled by the North Koreans’ recklessness as they tried to make breakthroughs on the battlefield despite suffering heavy casualties, he said.
Jung Gwang-il, a former North Korean artillery officer, informed reporters that those included in the Ukraine fighting consist of reconnaissance units, rear-area troops known as “storm troopers” and military delinquents assigned to punitive units known as the “labour regiment.”
Reports suggest that while these North Korean troops are “fearless in their fighting and approach to the military warfare, they fear that their families back home would be harmed in case they are captured by the enemy troops.”
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, said North Korea could still play a significant role after the end of the war in Ukraine.
“Russia will likely seek North Korea’s cooperation in rebuilding and replenishing its stock of ammunition and weapons,” Lim said.
