Why are North Koreans fighting for Russia in the Ukraine War?

Moscow –

When rumors first surfaced last October that North Korean troops would begin supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine, it was unclear what role they would play in the ‘savage war..

At that time, it was expected that they would only be assigned to non-combat roles, given their lack of experience with a sword of war.

However, after the US and Ukraine announced that North Korean troops were directly engaged in combat with Ukrainian troops, their role in the war came into focus.

The number of North Korean troops initially used by the Pentagon at 11,000 was disputed.

according to Bloomberg, unnamed sources believe Pyongyang has sent up to 100,000 troops.

However, accurate information is difficult to obtain as Moscow and Pyongyang have not directly responded to this report.

So what do we know about the presence of North Korean troops in Russia?

How effective are these soldiers?

In short, it’s hard to say for sure.

The reunified country has perhaps one of the largest armed forces in the world, with 1.28 million active soldiers.

However, unlike the Russian military, the People’s Army has no recent experience in combat operations.

Mark Cancian from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), believes that Pyongyang’s army is “highly indoctrinated but its willingness to fight is low”.

But, according to him, they cannot be seen as crooks.

Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence agencies say many of the soldiers sent to Russia are Pyongyang’s best soldiers.

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They were drawn from the 11th Corps, also known as the Storm Corps, a unit trained for infiltration, infrastructure sabotage, and assassination.

These soldiers “are trained to endure extreme physical pain and mental torture,” said Michael Madden, a North Korea expert at the Stimson Center in Washington.

“What they lack in combat, they make up for in what they can endure physically and mentally,” he said.

Cancian agreed that “if these are special operations forces, they are [Korps Badai] it will be far more prepared than the average North Korean unit.”

“In addition, it seems that Russia is giving them additional training, perhaps on the specific conditions of the war in Ukraine,” he said.

This appears to be supported by the emergence of a video on social media showing several men believed to be North Koreans wearing Russian military uniforms at a military training facility in the Apparently Russia.

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And as the war in Ukraine enters its third year, these North Korean troops could be among the “most capable” troops available to Russia, Chun In-bum said. , a retired South Korean army lieutenant general.

Moscow has been recruiting at least 20,000 new soldiers a month to help bolster its forces, with more than 1,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded on average each day, according to NATO and officials. weapons in the West.

“[Rusia] sent soldiers to the front lines without proper training. Compared to [pasukan] These soldiers, North Korean soldiers are well trained and motivated. They are currently untested in combat, but that is not the reason,” said Lt. Gen. (ret.) Chun.

Nevertheless, some experts believe that the obvious language barrier and unfamiliarity with Russian systems will make any combat difficult.

They recommended the use of Pyongyang’s forces based on their engineering and construction capabilities.

Why did North Korea get involved in the Russo-Ukraine War?

With these disadvantages, what are the advantages of this agreement for both countries?

Observers say Moscow needs human resources, while Pyongyang needs money and technology.

“For North Korea, [penempatan pasukan seperti itu] is a good way to earn money,” said Andrei Lankov, director of the Korea Risk Group.

South Korean intelligence estimates that the payment received is US$2,000 (about Rp. 31.6 million) per soldier per month, with the majority of this money expected to go to state coffers.

Pyongyang could also gain access to Russian military technology that Moscow would otherwise be reluctant to transfer, Lankov said.

Moscow’s human resources problems have been widely reported, with the US estimating that around 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Last September, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued his third order since the start of the war to increase his troops.

Russia also implemented strategies that “reduced the influence of domestic politics”, such as offering bonuses to [tentara] volunteer workers who hire foreigners with a guarantee of citizenship, said Cancian of CSIS.

“With Russia reportedly suffering more than 1,000 casualties on the battlefield, reducing its own losses could put pressure on the Putin regime,” said Lami Kim, professor of Security Studies at the Daniel K Center for Security Studies. Inouye Asia-Pacific.

What is South Korea’s response?

This development, which comes at a time when tensions on the Korean peninsula have increased in recent years, has worried Seoul.

In October, North Korea blew up parts of two roads connecting it to South Korea, days after Seoul accused Seoul of flying drones into the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.

This happened after the two countries were involved in sending balloons and propaganda to each other’s territories.

South Korea and North Korea have also suspended an agreement aimed at reducing military tensions between them, shortly after the North declared that South Korea is now its “enemy number”.

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Therefore, it makes sense that South Korea would be uncomfortable with North Korea gaining new military power amid these tensions.

After all, troops in South Korea haven’t fought in another major conflict since the Korean War.

According to Madden and Cancian, North Korean troops are believed to be deployed around the Kursk border region, which Moscow is trying to retake from Ukraine.

South Korea is concerned that its adversaries may have “more ruthless capabilities” as a result of the experience its soldiers gain on the battlefield, said Lt. Gen. (ret.) Chun.

He also expressed “deep concern” about the agreement between Pyongyang and Moscow, which promised that the two countries would help each other in the event of “attacks” against either country.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has repeated at least three times in the past two months that​​​​South Korea would consider helping Ukraine “for defense purposes.”

If this happens, it would mark a change from South Korea’s long-standing policy of not arming countries engaged in active conflict.

(nvc/nvc)