North Korean troops in Kursk: Well-armed but short-lived campaign
The spokesperson for Ukraine's Special Operations, Col. Oleksandr Kindratenko, confirmed in an interview with the American magazine "Newsweek" that the North Korean soldiers sent to the Kursk region faced defeat, and the survivors were likely withdrawn from the battlefield. This occurred in spite of their having much better equipment than initially expected.
Kindratenko stated that during the clashes, Ukrainians managed to eliminate or capture not only many rank-and-file soldiers of Kim Jong Un's army but also some higher-ranking officers. This confirms earlier reports from Ukrainian war correspondents covering the situation in the Kursk region. What stands out is the equipment of the Koreans.
Better equipped than the Russians
In his conversation with "Newsweek," Kindratenko admitted that the gear found with the North Korean soldiers indicates they were often better armed than Russian forces.
Almost all the North Koreans fighting in the Kursk region were equipped with modernised versions of standard Russian weapons - instead of the AK-47, they used newer AK-12 rifles. Additionally, they reportedly had over three times more ammunition magazines than the average Russian soldier, as well as larger reserves of grenades. Some North Koreans even had two automatic weapons (besides the AK-12, also the Vepr-12).
Kindratenko also added that footage from Ukrainian reconnaissance drones showed a "significant number of anti-tank grenade launchers" being fired by forces sent to Russia from Pyongyang.
Why were the Koreans withdrawn from the Kursk region?
"Newsweek" noted that at the time of the North Korean soldiers' arrival in the Kursk region, some labelled them "cannon fodder," but some Ukrainian sources indicated that they were disciplined and proficient with weapons.
Among the main reasons for the Koreans' failure, Kindratenko cites a lack of proper coordination of their actions with Russian units and the limited experience they had in the context of the "drone warfare" with unmanned aerial vehicles that have dominated the Ukrainian-Russian conflict.
According to Kindratenko, North Korean soldiers may return to fight after receiving appropriate reinforcements and possibly after additional training.
