North Korean special forces in the war between Russia and Ukraine: changing the rules of the game?

North Korean combat troops in Russia: significant contribution?: Multiple sources have now confirmed that North Korean combat troops are about to be struggle in the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine. The nature of the mission that these troops will undertake and the impact it will have not only on the war, but also on the relationship between North Korea and Russia, is incredibly important.

So, it’s important to know a few things: when did it start, what is the troop size, who are the troops that will fight for Russia, will it have a major impact on the war, and perhaps just as importantly, what will North Korea gain? from this?

North Korea, of course, was supply Russia has been supplying artillery shells, ballistic missiles and small arms for almost two years. The numbers are staggering, and this has become a key aspect of the combat support that the Russians need. But back in 2022, when this all started, the North Koreans reportedly proposed 100,000 soldiers to support the fight. While this proposal may or may not have been an exaggeration, Kim Jong Un has now decided to send at least this first contingent of troops to fight in Ukraine.

According to the South Korean press, citing NIS (the South Korean equivalent of the CIA), first contingent The number of troops is about 12,000. It consists of four brigades, each with about 3,200 troops, under the North Korean 11th Corps, which some veteran analysts may remember as the “Light Infantry Training Bureau.” There are reportedly ten independent brigades attached to the 11th Corps, and there are also light infantry brigades attached to each geographical and functional corps in North Korea. North Korean light infantry is among best trainedthe best-fed and most motivated soldiers in the country.

At least part of the original contingent, 1,500 men, left three North Korean ports on four transports and three frigates, bound for Russia between 8 and 13 October. It is reported that soon after the end of the war, troops will begin fighting in Kursk and other areas of the war. come to Russia.

Light Infantry Mission Brigades trained to turn on but not limited to penetration beyond the front edge of the battlefield, penetration and destruction or destruction of sensitive objects (especially airfields and airfields), penetration of enemy defensive positions to conduct enveloping or flanking attacks in support of regular ground forces, seizure of major communication lines, penetration of enemy defenses for the purpose of capturing and controlling important terrain and civilian installations (such as dams, power plants and other critical infrastructure), acting as reconnaissance assets in support of corps and divisions, and acting as a rearguard and delaying force during withdrawal operations , to harass the enemy by destroying bridges, tunnels, power grids, etc.

The question many are asking is will this change the deployment of North Korean troops in the war in Ukraine? Of course, in a symbolic sense this is already true.

Sending the nation’s best troops to fight an ally is a move that demonstrates solidarity in both rhetoric and action. As for the actual changes to the war, two former US government officials said in comments to Radio Free Asia that it would not be a game changer given the number of troops and the size of the weapons.

This is true. However, I believe that the North Koreans will likely send additional troops, so the real response will be more subtle. This could be a game changer if significantly more troops are sent to war. Whether this will happen remains to be seen.

It will also depend on how North Korean troops under Russian command are deployed. The initial contingent was reported to number 500 officers and included three generals among the 12,000 men, so there is a possibility that these troops would maintain the integrity of their units by operating as battalions or even brigades attached to with the support of the Russian command.

Light infantry units have participated in combined arms exercises in North Korea, but how they will do so if they do so during the war in Ukraine remains an unanswered question. In other words, asking whether this will be a game changer or not is nothing short of foolhardy. Of course, there is a possibility that this will happen, but in the end it may simply be a symbol of support from one ally to another. When it comes to actions that could be considered “game changers,” North Korea has reportedly already taken into account for a full half of the ammunition used by Russia in combat operations against Ukraine over the past year.

Why isn’t this a game changer?

It is clear what Russia will gain from such a deployment of troops. If the Russians decide to use these troops the way they have been trained, Moscow will now have more jump-trained special forces to augment its elite forces. But Russian special forces faced real problems in this war. And if the goal is to enhance these capabilities in a way that will have a major impact, significantly more North Korean troops will need to be committed to the war. On the other hand, the Russians may decide not to use these troops as special forces at all, and this would likely mean heavy losses for the North Koreans.

What will the North Koreans get out of this?

According to Kim Jong-un, the longer this war continues, the better it will be for North Korea. North Korea has survived for many years, due in no small part to its military proliferation in the Middle East and Africa. But North Korea has never proliferated conventional weapons and missiles in such large quantities and in such a short time as during the war in Ukraine. This will bring money, oil, food, upgrades to technical and military systems, as well as support for North Korea’s very large, but largely outdated army.

It is necessary for the Kim family regime to realize that special operations forces are like artillery systems or ballistic missiles, a weapon system that can be proliferated for profit for the regime. According to press reports, Russia pays $2,000 per month for each North Korean soldier. But this payment is paid to the North Korean government, not to the soldiers. Thus, the more troops North Korea sends to fight the war in Ukraine, the more money it will make for the regime. Pyongyang has never had a better deal.

About the author:

Bruce E. Bechtol Jr. is an award-winning professor of political science at Angelo State University and a former Marine. From 1997 to 2003, he was an intelligence officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency and later became a senior analyst for Northeast Asia in the Joint Staff Intelligence Agency (J2). He currently serves as president of the International Council on Korean Studies and serves on the board of directors of the Council for U.S.-Korea Security Studies. He is the author of the recent book, The Spread of North Korean Military Power in the Middle East and Africa: Ensuring Violence and Instability (University Press of Kentucky: 2018), North Korea and Regional Security in the Era of Kim Jong Un: A New International Security Dilemma. (Palgrave Macmillan: 2014), The Last Days of Kim Jong Il: The North Korean Threat in an Age of Change (University of Nebraska Press: 2013), The Defiant Failed State: The North Korean Threat to International Security (Potomac Books: 2010) and The Red Bandit : North Korea’s Enduring Challenge (Potomac Books: 2007).

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