North Korea's military presence in Russia fuels global tensions
Kim Jong Bok, a close associate of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has arrived in Russia to oversee North Korean soldiers sent there, reported the Kyodo News agency, citing a source within Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR).
Kim Jong Bok is currently the deputy chief of staff of the Korean People's Army. According to Kyodo, he previously commanded North Korea's special forces.
According to the North Korea Leadership Watch site, Kim has frequently accompanied the leader during military exercises.
South Korean intelligence reported in recent days that Pyongyang has dispatched about 3,000 soldiers to Russia's Far East. By the end of the year, 10,000 are expected to be there. The U.S. and various EU countries, including Poland and the Netherlands, have confirmed these findings.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that North Korean soldiers will be integrated into operations in the Kursk region in western Russia, where Ukrainian forces have been active since August 6.
Zelensky warned that sending North Korean soldiers to the front will be "the first step on the path to a world war," and called on the West for decisive action. Meanwhile, NATO cautioned that if North Korean soldiers join Russian forces in Ukraine, it could mean an escalation of the war.
According to the South Korean newspaper " JoongAng, " citing military sources, the majority of North Korean soldiers sent to Russia are young, roughly 20-year-old recruits who have recently joined the army. Moscow is set to pay each soldier approximately CAD 2,700 per month.
Researcher Oh Gyeong-seob from the Korean Institute for National Unification suggested that it is "easier to control" newly enlisted soldiers because they are "less likely to desert."
The Radio Free Asia (RFA) portal noted, however, that the regime authorities in Pyongyang typically withhold most of the salaries paid to workers sent abroad, causing uncertainty over how much soldiers will receive.
Russians impressed with the physical fitness of North Koreans
According to a report from NIS, cited on Thursday by South Korean lawmakers, Russian instructors were impressed with North Koreans' good physical condition and morale. However, they noted a lack of understanding of modern warfare tactics, including the use of assault drones, which could lead to significant personnel losses when deployed on the front line.
The United States and South Korea revealed that in October, at least 3,000 soldiers were transported from North Korea to Russia. By the end of the year, Pyongyang is expected to deploy 10,000 troops there. On Thursday, Japanese and Ukrainian media reported that about 2,000 North Korean soldiers, who completed training at ranges in Russia's Far East, were being transported by train to the country's European part, near the border with Ukraine.
