North Korean troops fighting for Putin changes the conflict
North and South Korean soldiers are waging a war against one other, albeit with an unexpected twist.
Thousands of North Korean soldiers are preparing for war in bases across Russia and thousands more are on their way to the front, South Korea’s spy agency revealed today, writes Josh Schlicht.
Satellite photos released by the intelligence agency depict roughly 1,500 North Korean special forces soldiers boarding Russian navy vessels bound for Vladivostok. Other aerial shots show them in formation at Russian bases in the nation’s far east. Altogether, South Korea claims four brigades totalling 12,000 North Korean soldiers are on site or en route, preparing to join Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The South Koreans also alleged that Kim Jong Un’s forces are not flying their nation’s colours, but rather are given Russian uniforms and forged identification documents. A video making the rounds on social media seems to corroborate this finding, allegedly depicting dozens of North Korean soldiers in Russian camouflage running drills at a remote base.
The emergence of North Korean forces in Russia follows Putin’s Pyongyang visit in June where the autocratic pair were pictured holding hands and hugging one another before they signed a mutual defence pact.
The soldier-lending program is mutually advantageous for both nations. Russia is provided with more cannon fodder for the frontline, staving off recruitment of its treasured Muscovites and residents of St. Petersburg, while Kim Jong Un's troops gain experience in modern combat. Much has changed since North Korean forces last fought abroad in Angola in the early 1980s, and despite the country's massive defence budget, comprising 30 per cent of GDP, its military is ill-prepared for modern war without practical exposure.
The scope for valuable training, however, could be undermined by the likelihood of North Korean defections. According to reports, in recent days, 18 North Korean soldiers abandoned their Russian comrades, almost immediately upon joining the frontline, to surrender to Ukraine. An unverified clip appears to depict one such surrendering Korean nervously reciting a poem in Ukrainian, seemingly attempting to demonstrate goodwill toward his captors.
If defections persist, Russia may find its North Korean counterparts to be greater liabilities than assets. Nevertheless, the intimate involvement of the North Koreans changes the nature of the conflict. Yesterday, Zelensky warned that this escalation could mean “world war” and that Ukraine no longer faces Russia alone but, rather, is fighting a war against a “coalition of criminals”.
North Koreans are not the only unfamiliar faces greeting Ukrainians from across the trenches. The presence of African, Cuban, Nepalese, and Syrian mercenaries has been well documented. Reports vary as to why these soldiers have found themselves fighting in a conflict far away from home, some appear to be students and guest workers, coerced into service by Russian authorities. Others are simply there for the money.
On the other side of the battle, thousands of American, British, South Korean, Polish, and Georgian volunteers have served in defence of Ukraine, of which several hundred are believed to have been killed.
Which means North and South Korea are once again in direct conflict, albeit with an unexpected twist. Their soldiers aren't waging a war across the Peninsula's border but rather on Europe's frontiers.
Josh Schlicht
Reaction Reporter
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