Recent analysis suggests that North Korean troops deployed to Russia are likely to volunteer for service despite the risk of becoming cannon fodder in the conflict with Ukraine.
On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that several North Korean military defectors have provided insights into the possibility that deployed soldiers’ loyalty and determination could be more than expendable assets on the battlefield.
Yoon Seong Hyun, a 28-year-old defector who escaped North Korea in 2019, told the WSJ that he would have gratefully followed the command if he had received orders to deploy to Russia while serving.
Yoon explained that because he was forced to work on construction sites without proper meals in his service time, he would have thought at least he could consume meals if he had been ordered to Russia. He added that the deployed soldiers won’t differ from his thoughts.
For troops indoctrinated with unwavering loyalty to Kim Jong Un and the regime, deployment to Russia may represent a rare opportunity to bring prestige and financial benefits to the Kim regime.
Lee Hyun Seung, a 39-year-old defector from North Korea’s elite 11th Corps, also known as the Storm Corps, stated that the deployed soldiers undoubtedly received intense ideological training, reinforcing their willingness to die for Chairman Kim Jong Un.
Lee added that while these North Korean troops may not significantly impact the war and could become casualties, they won’t question their leader’s orders to go to Russia.
Shin Joo Il, a former North Korean officer who defected in 1998, mentioned the North Korean soldiers who witnessed the significant rise in the social status of veterans of the Vietnam War and their families might consider the deployment as a similar chance.
He continued that Air Force pilots who returned from Vietnam were hailed as heroes and promoted to high-ranking positions. And even the widows of fallen pilots were elevated to senior roles within the Workers’ Party.
The strong loyalty of North Korean soldiers to the regime, coupled with their desire to escape poverty, has raised concerns about the potential for additional troop deployments to Russia.
The WSJ emphasized that the most alarming aspect of this initial deployment is North Korea’s capacity to send more troops by maintaining the world’s largest standing army, with approximately 1.2 million active-duty personnel.
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