SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Thousands of young people North Korea sends soldiers to RussiaThose reportedly assisting in the fight against Ukraine are mostly elite special forces, but they still have no combat experience, are unfamiliar with the terrain, and are likely to be dropped in the most ferocious locations. Due to the high price, speculation continues that they may be massacred. battlefield.
That may be true, and soon. Observers said troops had already arrived at the front. But from North Korea’s perspective, these soldiers may not be as dire as outsiders think. According to former North Korean soldiers, they may actually be proud of their visit to Russia, seeing it as a rare opportunity to earn a lot of money, visit a foreign country for the first time, and win preferential treatment for their families back home. That’s what it means.
“They will be too young to understand exactly what it means. They will consider it an honor to be chosen out of many North Korean soldiers to go to Russia.” ” said Lee Eun-gil, a former member of the same special forces “Assault Team.” He came to Korea in 2007. “But most of them probably won’t make it home alive.”
Something to worry about North Korea is also likely to participate. Issues in the Russia-Ukraine war came into focus this week after the Pentagon announced that North Korea is sending about 10,000 troops to Russia and will likely fight Ukraine “over the coming weeks.” . NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Monday that some North Korean military troops were already stationed in Russia’s Kursk border region, where Russia is struggling with its invasion of Ukraine.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said on Monday that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia to support its nearly three-year war against Ukraine, in Russia’s Kursk border region where Russia is struggling to push back an invasion of Ukraine. It has been confirmed that some have already been dispatched.
North Korean troops It could mark a serious escalation in the nearly three-year war. This surprised many outside observers, as North Korea has its own security woes and tensions with the United States and South Korea have worsened. Its nuclear development program.
The heavy casualties in North Korea’s military would be a major political blow to the country’s 40-year ruler. Kim Jong Un. But experts say Kim may see this as a way to get much-needed foreign currency and security support from Russia in return for joining Russia’s war against Ukraine. are.
“Kim Jong-un is taking a big gamble. Unless there are too many casualties, he will get what he wants to a certain extent. But if many soldiers die in battle, the situation will change dramatically.” said Ahn Chang-il, a former North Korean army lieutenant and current director of the World North Korea Research Institute, a think tank in Seoul.
The Storm Corps, also known as the 11th Corps, is one of Kim’s top forces. Its main mission would be to infiltrate South Korea with operatives, blow up important South Korean facilities, and assassinate key figures in the event of war on the Korean peninsula.
Lee, who served in the assault force from 1998 to 2003, recalled that although his unit received better food and supplies than other units, many members still suffered from malnutrition and tuberculosis. .
Although gradually, economic recovery Defectors say the average monthly salary for civilian workers and soldiers in North Korea over the past 30 years has been less than $1. They say the country’s state rationing system remains largely broken, leaving many people engaged in capitalist market activities to make a living.
Russia is expected to cover all costs associated with sending North Korean troops, including wages, which observers say will amount to at least $2,000 per month per person. Approximately 90% to 95% of their scholarships will go into Kim’s coffers, with the rest likely going to the soldiers. This means that for a year of service in Russia, a North Korean soldier would earn between $1,200 and $2,400. This is large enough to encourage many young soldiers to volunteer for the dangerous Russian expedition, former soldiers say.
Ahn said North Korea could possibly offer members of the ruling Workers’ Party or other incentives aimed at improving the social status of its soldiers, such as the right to move to Pyongyang, the country’s flagship capital. He said it was highly sexual. Kang Mi-jin, a North Korean defector who runs a company that analyzes the North Korean economy, said that even if you are the family of a soldier sent to Russia, you may be given perks such as a good home and admission to a good university. he said.
Choi Jong-hoon, a former lieutenant in the North Korean army, said serving in a foreign country will attract many soldiers who want to see another country for the first time.
North Koreans are prohibited from accessing foreign news and need state permission to move from one state to another. North Korean construction workers, loggers and other workers sent overseas to bring in foreign currency are often called upon. “slave” By international human rights organizations. But defectors say these overseas jobs are often better than remaining in North Korea, and that many obtained them through bribes or family connections.
“North Korean soldiers will consider going to Russia a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Ahn said.
Ang and other observers say that view could change if soldiers see their colleagues dying in large numbers. They say many North Korean soldiers may surrender and demand Ukrainian forces. Resettlement to Korea.
North Korean soldiers are trained in the mountainous regions of the Korean peninsula and are unaccustomed to the mostly flat, plain battlefields of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Experts also say North Korea does not understand modern warfare, including the use of drones, because it has not engaged in major combat since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. do.
Choi, who is now the leader of an activist group in Seoul, said he was “heartbroken” when he saw the incident. ukraine videos It is said to show a small North Korean soldier, believed to be in his late teens or early 20s.
“No one would think of going to Russia to die,” Choi said. “But I think they are cannon fodder because they are sent to the most dangerous places and are guaranteed to be killed.”
Kim Jong Un, the leader of the Korean Workers’ Party, may also be hoping that his offer to send troops will encourage Russia to share advanced and sensitive technology needed to perfect its own military. . Nuclear-capable missile. The transfer could depend on how long the war lasts and how many more troops Kim sends.
Nam Sung-wook, a former head of a think tank run by South Korea’s spy agency, said North Korea would likely earn hundreds of millions of dollars in soldiers’ wages. He said the soldiers would have first-hand experience of modern warfare, many would likely die, and Russia would be reluctant to hand over high-tech missile technology.
Nam, who is currently a professor at South Korea’s Korea University, said, “North Korea will continue to hide its troop dispatch from its own people, because they know that their own soldiers are being sent overseas to be killed.” That’s because the people of Japan will be excited.”
