Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—
North Korean soldiers were taught basic Russian commands before preparing to move to the front lines of Russia’s war against Ukraine, South Korean lawmakers told reporters Tuesday, citing the country’s intelligence officials. He said there is a possibility that he is doing so.
The Pentagon estimated Monday that about 10,000 North Korean soldiers are undergoing military training in eastern Russia, up from the White House’s previous estimate of 3,000.
Reps. Lee Sung-eun and Park Sung-won were told that South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) is currently monitoring the possibility that “some North Korean personnel, including senior military officials, will move to the front lines.” said. The National Intelligence Service made the statement during a closed session of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee.
According to the lawmakers, Russia is teaching North Korean soldiers 100 basic military terms such as “shoot” and “position.”
But they added that it is clear that North Korean soldiers are having trouble communicating and it is not clear whether they will be able to bridge the language gap.
North Korea has also stepped up security measures to protect dictator Kim Jong Un and to prevent news of North Korea’s Russian troops from spreading through the extremely isolated and impoverished country.
To this end, North Korean officers involved in the Russian effort are banned from using their phones, while soldiers’ families are told that their loved ones are merely participating in “military exercises.” Yes, the lawmakers said.
Footage shows North Korean soldiers receiving uniforms and equipment at Russian training base
Despite these measures, rumors about sending troops to Russia have spread in North Korea, causing “unrest” in some parts of the country, the lawmakers said.
Some residents and soldiers have expressed fear that they will be sent to Russia, while others have questioned why they would be sacrificed for another country. .
Last week, Ukraine intercepted Russian communications channels and released the audio. In the audio, Russian soldiers can be heard talking disparagingly about the incoming North Korean troops, calling them “K Battalion” and calling them “fucking Chinese.”
The intercepts also revealed a plan to deploy one interpreter and three senior officers for every 30 North Korean men, and a Russian soldier can be heard denouncing this in the audio.
“The only thing I don’t understand is that there is [should be] 3 senior officers for 30 people. Where can we get them? We will have to withdraw them,” says one Russian military officer.
This could be North Korea’s first major intervention in an international conflict. North Korea has one of the world’s largest armies, with 1.2 million soldiers, most of whom have no combat experience.
The Kremlin initially denied allegations of sending North Korean troops, but at the BRICS summit in Russia last week, President Vladimir Putin did not deny that North Korea had sent soldiers to North Korea.
North Korea said Friday that sending troops to Russia to support the war in Ukraine complies with international law, state media reported, but did not explicitly confirm such a presence. North Korea had previously denied such reports.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Song Hui left Pyongyang on Monday and is currently in Russia for her second visit in six weeks. She likely traveled to discuss the possibility of sending additional North Korean troops and what North Korea would receive in return, lawmakers told reporters.
The news also comes as South Korea’s foreign and defense ministers are heading to Washington to meet with their counterparts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, for the annual Cabinet meeting. It was done.
