South Korean defectors join Ukrainian war effort against Russia
South Koreans wish to participate in a conflict on the Ukrainian front against Northern units fighting on Russia's side. One of the first volunteers, Lee Min-bok, an activist against Kim Jong Un's regime who fled North Korea years ago, declared this.
A group of about 200 former North Korean soldiers, who escaped from North Korea and now reside in South Korea, have offered their help to Ukrainian forces. They are prepared to go to the front and commence a psychological campaign aimed at weakening morale and encouraging defection among the regime's soldiers dispatched to fight on Russia's side.
Most North Korean soldiers, including elite special forces, suffer from malnutrition. They do not represent a high level of effectiveness. The soldiers seen on TV during parades are the elite of the army population, said Ahn Chang-Il, a 69-year-old military veteran, to journalists. We understand North Korea's military culture and psychological state better than anyone else. We are ready to work as psychological warfare agents, using loudspeakers, distributing leaflets, and even acting as translators, stated the former military man.
The South China Morning Post reported the offer from former North Korean regime soldiers. Another veteran, Lee Min-bok, wrote a letter to the Ukrainian embassy in South Korea. He emphasised the former soldiers' willingness to assist and appealed to President Volodymyr Zelensky for help in saving North Korean soldiers, whom he described as "cannon fodder."
Lee Min-bok is an activist against the Kim Jong Un regime. He became famous for his actions of sending balloons over North Korea carrying one-dollar bills, computer flash drives, and leaflets containing messages debunking the personality cult around North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
There has already been an "arranged meeting" between opposing units in the Ukraine war. In April 2022, a confrontation occurred during the battle for the Ukrainian city of Popasna in the Donbas, involving pro-Russian "Kadyrovites" and Chechen volunteers fighting for Ukraine.
How valuable is Kim's army? They might be hungry, but they will still fight
Is this some kind of hysteria?! We are bombarded with reports about the Korean contingent, but what would such an army achieve there? They do not know Russian or understand the military systems used in Russia. They are left with a Kalashnikov, a spade, and the task of entering the trenches as cannon fodder, comments Gen. Waldemar Skrzypczak, former commander of the Land Forces. I have serious doubts about the actual involvement of North Koreans in fighting on Russia's side, he adds.
Gen. Skrzypczak agrees that North Korean units likely lack high combat potential. He believes that the size of the troops (previous estimates mentioned 12,000-30,000 soldiers) does not alter the balance of forces in the war.
One can miscalculate by thinking they would easily be persuaded to surrender or switch sides. Let's not forget that Kim's regime holds the fates of the soldiers' families in its hands, and they could end up in penal camps. These soldiers could be terrorised. He sums up they might be hungry, but they will still go to fight.
The WP interlocutor emphasises that he sees the greatest threat in the very fact of political cooperation being undertaken between Russia and North Korea. Such an alliance, supported by China, will preoccupy the American administration. The United States is engaged in three regions: the war in Ukraine, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the Far East. This situation favours Putin because all actions by American politicians and officials have to be equally divided among these three theatres, Gen. Skrzypczak further comments.
Will Kim Jong Un's army stand by Putin's army? What is known about the cooperation
According to estimates by the Ukrainian military intelligence, about 12,000 soldiers (including three generals and 500 officers) have already made their way to Russia. They have trained in five ranges of coordination and cooperation with units from both countries. Korean soldiers would probably partake in battles as mercenaries, dressed in Russian uniforms and holding Russian documents.
In response to these reports, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, known for his firm stance against Kim's regime, said that his country is considering the possibility of providing military aid to Ukraine. Considerations include providing air defence and missile systems, deliveries of K9 howitzers, K2 tanks, and ammunition, reported Business Insider.
South Korea's support for Kyiv might involve supplying intelligence information about North Korean weapons and tactics, as suggested by Korean analysts cited by the Ukrainian agency Unian.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday at 1:00 PM GMT that reports from the military command indicate that the first North Korean units would be deployed by Russia in the battle zones around 28 October. So far, there has been no evidence of their involvement in the war. Ukrainian military experts anticipate that North Koreans may join the fight on the front in the Russian Kursk region. They could form the 2nd and 3rd security line for the front, freeing up some Russian forces to participate in recapturing areas from Ukrainian control.
