The introduction of North Korean troops into the war between Russia and Ukraine marked a small escalation in the conflict that raised international alarms. Weeks after the confirmation of this news, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated that at least 3,000 of the 10,000 soldiers sent to the front would have lost their liveswhich translates to a quarter of the North Korean special forces sent.
Despite the high death toll, according to reports Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has continued sending their troops to the front in exchange for money, military technology and oil supplies. In fact, both Zelensky and the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff support this idea, highlighting that North Korea is preparing to continue providing support to Vladimir Putin’s country.
North Korean support in the conflict comes at a critical time for Russia. In total, more than 600,000 Russian soldiers have lost their lives at the start of the conflict, as reported by the Pentagon at the beginning of October. According to the newspaper Wall Street Journal two-thirds of the mortars and projectiles in Russia came from North Korea and one in three ballistic missiles They were manufactured in North Korea, as claimed by several Ukrainian officials.
Regarding the one who requested help first, the New York Times claimed, citing US officials, that It was North Korea who made the offer and Putin accepted, although it is not known exactly what date the agreement was reached, which was finally signed in November.
One of the reasons for this collaboration, in addition to the ideological closeness between both regimes and the friendship of both leaders, is that this way the North Korean leader can avoid some international sanctions imposed against his country through the supply of troops to Russia. Furthermore, the introduction of North Korean troops can help Kim Jong Un’s country prepare for combat and gain experience in this area.
Despite this, the North Korean army (one of the largest in the world) He does not have enough experience for this type of trench warfare. Hyunseung Lee, a former North Korean soldier who defected, told RFE/RL that soldiers “don’t really train with that equipment.” [los drones y el equipo de alta tecnología]. Added to these difficulties is the language barrierwhich according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also leads to the death of North Koreans.
