Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"Countries that fail to adapt soon enough or well enough to the changing character of warfare are condemned to fail or success at unnecessary cost and loss of life."

– Colin S. Gray

"The world only exists in your eyes... You can make it as big or as small as you want."

– F. Scott Fitzgerald

The success of a terrorist operation depends almost entirely on the amount of publicity it receives.

– Walter Laqueur

1. North Korean troops thrown into Russia-Ukraine War will be 'strangers in a strange land'

2. U.S. Has Few Options in Response to North Korean Troops Fighting for Russia

3. North Korea says missile test shows ‘irreversible’ means to deliver nuclear bombs

4. North Korea sends military to inspect homes for working propaganda speakers

5. Kim Jong Un has sent North Korean troops to Russia. What’s in it for him?

6. How North Korea's elite soldiers could change Ukraine war

7. N. Korean FM: strategic value of ties with Russia gains greater importance in severe int'l landscape

8. Editorial: 'DPRK denuclearization' omission in SCM statement raises S. Korea's security risks

9. North Korea Says It Will Back Russia Until 'Victory' In Ukraine

10. President Yoon's approval rating drops to 10% range

11. Kim Jong-un's powerful sister condemns UN's criticism of N. Korean ICBM launch

12. N. Korea, Russia blame US and its allies for tensions amid NK troop dispatch

13. S. Korea, US pledge coordinated response against NK troops in Russia

14. Ukraine has ALREADY wiped out 40 ‘elite’ N.Korean soldiers in invaded Kursk

1. North Korean troops thrown into Russia-Ukraine War will be 'strangers in a strange land'

Comments from a number of retired General Officers, Dr. Bruce Becthol, and me. Below this I have pasted a draft paper I am working on that provides more detail and nuance: Comparing Trust, Respect, and Communication between North Korea/Russia and South Korea/U.S.

North Korean troops thrown into Russia-Ukraine War will be 'strangers in a strange land'

North Korea and Russia have a history of military cooperation, but they are nothing close to a real military coalition, say retired senior U.S. military leaders.

Jeff Schogol

Posted on Nov 1, 2024 2:22 PM EDT

taskandpurpose.com · by Jeff Schogol

North Korean troops may soon fight alongside the Russian military against Ukrainian forces, but it remains to be seen how the two countries’ militaries will mesh at the tactical level, especially given the language barriers.

About 10,000 North Korean troops have arrived in Russia so far, of which about 8,000 have deployed to the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have captured some Russian territory, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told reporters on Thursday.

“We’ve not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we would expect that to happen in the coming days,” Blinken said at a meeting of top U.S. and South Korean foreign and defense officials. “Russia has been training DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea] soldiers on artillery; UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles]; basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, indicating that they fully intend to use these forces in frontline operations.”

Although North Korean and Russian troops could be fighting together, building a truly joint force requires years of effort, retired U.S. commanders told Task & Purpose.

NATO, for example, spent decades integrating troops from its 32 member nations so they could truly work together on the battlefield, said retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis, who served as the Supreme Allied Commander at NATO from 2009 to 2013.

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Developing such a level of cooperation among so many different militaries has required constant exercises and training, dedicating English as the single language for operations, and developing procurement systems to make sure that each nation’s troops can communicate with each other and all their equipment works together, Stavridis told Task & Purpose.

“To simply throw 10,000 North Koreans on the battlefield will demonstrate how challenging it is to achieve the kind of operational proficiency that NATO has,” Stavridis said. “I don’t think the North Koreans, therefore, are going to make a significant range difference in the fight. Most of them will be thinking about how they can survive in what will appear to them to be a very bewildering war. They will be, quite literally, strangers in a strange land.”

Adjacent units vs. shoulder-to-shoulder

While Russia and North Korea have a history of military cooperation dating back to the Korean War, it’s nowhere close to what the alliance between the United States and South Korea looks like, said retired Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, who led U.S. Forces Korea from 2016 to 2018

“I suspect that Russia and North Korea are going to struggle on coordination,” Brooks told Task & Purpose. “They’ll find some ways to work through it. They may have some liaison officers, for example, who have studied in Russia. But if it’s side by side, it will be two adjacent units side-by-side as opposed to shoulder-to-shoulder fighting in the assault.”

North Korea and Russia do not have any of the commonalities that underpin U.S. alliances, Brooks said. The two do not have a history of training together, they have not designated a single language for operations, and they do not even share a similar ideology.

“In terms of generational connectivity, rehearsal, common doctrine, common language, it’s not going to be there,” Brooks said. “But they do have common calibers of weapons, equipment, and so, they’ll find that to be interoperable, but that’s about it.”

North Korean soldiers march during a mass rally on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on Sept. 9, 2018.

AFP photo via Getty Images by Ed Jones.

By contrast, the alliance between the United States and South Korea shows what a true military coalition looks like, Brooks said. The 2nd Infantry Division is a combined American and South Korean unit. Every U.S. Army combat unit on the peninsula has also included South Korean soldiers since 1950.

“There’s an overlap at integration that happens at the top,” Brooks said. “That’s at the human level. Beyond that, there’s also significant doctrinal overlap. We train together. We train with each other’s weapons. We train with each other’s tactics. That creates a very different circumstance than what North Korea is going to experience.”

Working with allies vs. working with ‘allies’

Each spring and fall, U.S. and South Korean troops conduct large-scale military exercises to make sure they are prepared to defend against any threat, according to a statement from Eighth Army, which oversees all U.S. Army units deployed to the Korean peninsula.

“For decades, U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) troops have honed their skills and strengthened their partnership to operate seamlessly as one warfighting force, each complementing the other’s strengths,” the statement says. “There is no other U.S. Army duty station in the world that works and trains with allies as closely as we do here in South Korea.”

A critical element of the partnership between U.S. and South Korean forces is the Combined Forces Command, or CFC, a unified command where leaders from both militaries work together.

“CFC embodies the trust and integration between our nations, enabling us to coordinate and deploy our forces as a unified team,” the statement continues. “Through its oversight, CFC ensures that U.S. and ROK troops are aligned in planning, preparation, and readiness to meet any challenge.”

U.S. Marine Corps, Republic of Korea Marines Corps, New Zealand Army and Australian Army conduct amphibious assault training at Doksukri Beach, South Korea, March 12, 2016.

Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Briauna Birl.

Beyond South Korea, the U.S. military has a long experience of working with allies and other partners, said Brooks, who trained with a total of 88 foreign militaries during his nearly 40-year Army career. His first experience training with an ally occurred when he was a lieutenant during an 82nd Airborne Division deployment to Germany

“At some point in time, we were side by side with some German infantry battalions,” Brooks said. “We did some parachute drops. They jumped on our parachutes and our equipment. We then jumped with their parachutes, their jump masters and their equipment. And we exchanged jump wings. In the U.S. military, that experience will be continuously updated at every rank and every assignment as it was for me.”

Effective allies meet the same standards

A key component of NATO’s success in integrating different militaries at the tactical level has been developing a series of standards that all 32 members must meet, said retired Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, who served as head of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO Allied Command Operations from 2013 to 2016.

“This, in turn, drives commonality and compatibility of equipment, because if you’re going to work alongside another nation but your radios don’t talk on NATO-standard frequencies, then you’re not going to be a part of what NATO does,’ Breedlove told Task & Purpose. “Everything we do in NATO drives everyone to the same set of operating standards and operating compatibility when it comes to kit.”

These standards are emphasized during NATO exercises, such as Trident Juncture, in which member nations are unable to participate unless they can operate within the alliance’s framework, he said.

“It’s all latched together in how we do day-to-day business to prepare us so that when we’re on the battlefield, everything works,” Breedlove said.

The U.S. military has also spent decades combining the separate military branches into a joint force, he said. American officers must complete joint assignments to be considered for promotion to senior leadership positions.

“This business of jointness and this business of working in a coalition or an alliance is how Western officers are birthed and raised,” Breedlove said. “I would tell you that in the autocratic nations of the world, the jointness is not so apparent and the ability to work in coalition is not so apparent.”

Don’t underestimate the North Koreans

North Korea’s deployment of troops to Russia is not unprecedented. North Korea has sent its troops on several overseas combat deployments over the years, said Bruce E. Bechtol Jr., a political science professor at Angelo State University in Texas.

North Korean pilots flew combat missions during the 1973 Yom Kippur War; up to 3,000 North Korean troops participated in the Angolan Civil War in the 1970s and 1980s; North Korean crews operated multiple rocket launchers for the Syrian army in Lebanon in 1982; North Koreans operated Ethiopian tanks during the Ethiopian-Eritrean war from 1998 to 2000; and North Korea reportedly deployed two battalions to fight in the Syrian civil war, Bechtol told Task & Purpose.

It would be wrong to play down the capabilities that the North Korean troops will bring to the battlefield in Ukraine, said retired Army Gen. Robert B. Abrams, who led U.S. forces in Korea from 2018 to 2021.

“As a rule of thumb, I never underestimate an enemy, and I think in this case there is reason to not underestimate the North Korean troops,” Abrams told Task & Purpose. “Without the benefit of classified intelligence, I’m still confident in stating Kim Jong Un likely sent some of his best troops. North Koreans are conditioned for cold and harsh conditions. This is a reputational event for North Korea, and they don’t want to be embarrassed on the world stage by having their troops fail miserably.”

It is not yet clear how the two sides will overcome interoperability issues, such as the language barrier, Abrams said. The Russians could try to use interpreters and issue the North Koreans Russian radios.

Still, Abrams said he did not expect the North Korean troops to change the tactical situation on the ground in any significant way given how lethal the battlefield is. He noted that the Russians are suffering about 10,000 casualties every 8-to-10 days.

“I think there will be a strategic impact — principally by raising the profile of North Korea on the international stage and by whatever technology Russia has promised to give North Korea in return for deploying those North Korean troops,” Abrams said. “This has the potential to raise tensions even higher in northeast Asia.”

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Jeff Schogol

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Jeff Schogol is a senior staff writer for Task & Purpose. He has covered the military for 15 years, with previous bylines at the Express-Times in Easton, Pennsylvania, Stars & Stripes, and Military Times. You can email him at schogol@taskandpurpose.com, direct message @JeffSchogol on Twitter, or reach him on WhatsApp and Signal at 703-909-6488.

taskandpurpose.com · by Jeff Schogol

Comparing Trust, Respect, and Communication Between the North Korea–Russia and South Korea–U.S. Alliances

By David Maxwell

As North Korean troops begin deployment to Russia with the prospect of fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, communication challenges are becoming evident. While military operations often rely on clear communication, the relationship between Russian and North Korean forces goes beyond linguistic issues. To succeed on the battlefield, trust and mutual respect between the forces are equally crucial. Interpretation and translation can only bridge some of these gaps, and without trust, there is a risk of miscommunication and failure on the battlefield.

The Challenge of Language Interpretation and Cultural Understanding

Military communication is complex. Hand signals and tactical gestures can be universally understood across forces, conveying basic commands like "attack" or "stop." However, more intricate orders require interpreters with a deep understanding of both languages and cultures. A simple Google translation can convey words but lacks the nuance of military concepts and operational standards. Interpreters need to understand complex military tactics and the cultural context of the forces they are communicating between to ensure that orders are not merely understood but acted upon with clarity.

North Korean and Russian forces do not have a history of joint training or interoperability. By contrast, the U.S. and South Korean alliance has focused on living, working, and training together over the past 70 years. This integration has led to a deep-rooted understanding of military operations and the capability to conduct combined operations effectively. Programs such as the Korean Augmentees to the U.S. Army (KATUSA) are instrumental in fostering trust. This program, initiated in 1950, places Korean soldiers within U.S. Army units, facilitating better communication and shared understanding. The high level of interoperability at the command levels and the cross-pollination of doctrine have strengthened the alliance and improved operational efficiency.

The Role of Trust in Combined Military Operations

A foundation of trust is essential in any successful military alliance. Trust is built over time through shared experiences, such as training exercises and even casual bonding among soldiers. You cannot “surge trust.” One report suggests a ratio of one translator and three Russian officers per 30 North Korean soldiers. If these officers are expected to control the North Korean troops, the arrangement could lead to a breakdown in command structures. Without mutual trust, North Korean soldiers may feel subjugated or distrusted, potentially undermining their morale and cooperation with Russian forces.

There are two critical aspects of building trust between forces. First, soldiers must live, work, and train together to create a bond. Veterans often note that shared combat experiences, training hardships, and social interactions (e.g. sharing beer, soju, or vodka) help build camaraderie. However, given the lack of past cooperation between North Korean and Russian troops, there is minimal opportunity for such bonding to occur. Instead of the unity that U.S. and South Korean forces experience through joint exercises, the Russian and North Korean forces are likely to encounter friction due to unfamiliarity with each other's military culture and operational expectations.

The second aspect required for trust is respect. Reports from Ukrainian intelligence reveal that Russian forces refer to North Korean troops in derogatory terms, suggesting a lack of respect for their Korean counterparts. Negative perceptions or cultural biases within the Russian forces could create resentment among the North Koreans, diminishing the potential for a cohesive military effort. To build a successful combined force, Russian leaders must acknowledge and respect the experience and contributions of the North Korean soldiers rather than viewing them as subordinates or expendable assets.

The Limitations of Basic Communication Tools

Recently, a booklet containing basic Korean military commands was reportedly distributed to Russian forces, suggesting a minimalistic approach to language training. These phrases include simple commands like “Attack!” or “Get down!” While these basic expressions might help Russian forces communicate in critical moments, they fall short of conveying complex military strategies or nuanced commands. This issue is exacerbated by the lack of trained interpreters capable of providing real-time, contextually accurate interpretations.

For instance, the South Korean and U.S. forces have spent decades refining their communication protocols. Interpreters and translators embedded in these forces are familiar with military jargon and the cultural nuances of both nations. Additionally, they undergo continuous training to ensure that they can handle the intricacies of operational planning and battlefield directives. In contrast, Russian efforts to teach a limited set of Korean phrases to their soldiers may prove ineffective on the battlefield, where rapid and precise communication is paramount.

Consequences of Inadequate Trust and Respect

The reliance on basic translations without building trust and respect could result in operational chaos. Military leaders and experts agree that trust between forces is necessary to execute effective combat operations. Without well-trained interpreters and a history of joint training, it would be challenging for North Korean and Russian forces to conduct coordinated operations. The U.S. and South Korea's combined forces have conducted interoperability training for decades, yet even with these established protocols, communication is continuously honed through joint exercises.

With North Korean soldiers reportedly struggling to understand the Russian military’s combat terminology, the expectation of a seamless partnership may be unrealistic. Russian reports suggest that the North Korean military is finding it difficult to learn even the basics of military communication, further complicating operational effectiveness. An atmosphere of distrust, coupled with language barriers and cultural misunderstandings, could compromise the effectiveness of both forces in Ukraine.

Building a Sustainable Partnership for Battlefield and Strategic Success

If Russian and North Korean forces wish to build an effective alliance, they must address these foundational issues beyond language. Investing in comprehensive interpreter training, fostering mutual respect, and creating opportunities for joint training exercises would be more effective long-term solutions. Learning basic phrases might be a short-term fix, but without trust and respect, there is no foundation for the kind of cooperation that successful military partnerships demand.

Ultimately, if Russia views North Korean forces as expendable or subservient, it will be nearly impossible to build the trust needed for successful joint operations. Building effective partnerships requires time, commitment, and a genuine respect for each other’s capabilities. In this regard, the Russian and North Korean forces have a long way to go if they hope to work together as a cohesive and effective military unit.

Not only are trust, respect and effective communication required for the battlefield they are required for effective policy making and strategy development. Fortunately, these relationships that have developed among the military have also been built among policy makers in South Korea and the U.S. This includes both professional civil servants and political appointees. There is nothing comparable between Russian and North Korea.

Conclusion

Although perhaps not apparent to the casual reader, this comparison has particular meaning for the outcome on the Korean peninsula. The differences between them are the reasons why one will achieve success and the other will not. The allaince based on trust and respect will always defeat a transactional alliance. If there is war or regime collapse on the Korean peninsula the South Korea–U.S. alliance will prevail in defending Korea and making the Korean peninsula safe for all Korean people. Now that the military alliance has publicly committed to a free and unified Korea in the 56 ^th Security Consultative Meeting, it will provide military support to achieving the political end state of a unified Korea, a United Republic of Korea.

David Maxwell is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces Colonel who has spent more than 30 years in the Asia Pacific region. He specializes in Northeast Asian Security Affairs and irregular, unconventional, and political warfare. He is Vice President of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy and a Senior Fellow at the Global Peace Foundation. Following retirement, he was Associate Director of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. He is on the board of directors of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and the OSS Society and is a contributing editor to Small Wars Journal.

2. U.S. Has Few Options in Response to North Korean Troops Fighting for Russia

We still do not not know how the nKPA troops will be employed. One option will be how to exploit nNPA losses and captured POWs in the information space. This is an opportunity that the ROK/US alliance should not miss.

Excerpts:

Zelensky estimated that up to 12,000 North Korean troops could eventually be deployed, a figure that could help backfill Russia’s substantial losses while allowing Putin to avoid another round of mobilization of the kind that triggered mass protests in September 2022.

But most of the troops sent by Pyongyang are likely young conscripts who have never been abroad and are malnourished due to food shortages affecting North Korea, South Korean intelligence has said.

It isn’t clear what role the North Koreans will play in Ukraine, but their sheer number could be brought to bear against undermanned Ukrainian units struggling to hold positions in the eastern Donbas region and fighting to keep the land they occupy in Russia’s Kursk.

Throughout the war, Russia has used a tactic of sending ill-equipped troops forward in near-suicidal assaults on Ukrainian positions as a way of moving forward inch by inch against dug-in positions.

A team of South Korean military experts will soon arrive in Ukraine to study the involvement of North Korean troops on the front lines and exchange conclusions with the Ukrainian side, Zelensky said. He also called on Seoul to provide Ukraine with badly needed air defenses to counter Russia’s bombardments.

Ukraine has already begun preparing for the arrival of North Korean troops at its prisoner-of-war camps, some of which are full to capacity amid few prisoner swaps with Russia.

U.S. Has Few Options in Response to North Korean Troops Fighting for Russia

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says North Koreans engaged against Kyiv’s forces would be legitimate military targets

https://www.wsj.com/world/u-s-has-few-options-in-response-to-north-korean-troops-fighting-for-russia-d6b1a5bf?mod=lead_feature_below_a_pos3

By Matthew Luxmoore

Nov. 1, 2024 1:14 pm ET

A TV screen at a Seoul train station shows an image of soldiers believed to be from North Korea waiting to receive supplies from Russia. Photo: Ahn Young-joon/Associated Press

Thousands of North Korean troops deployed in Russia are poised to enter front-line fighting, according to Kyiv and Washington, an imminent move that the U.S. says would make Pyongyang’s forces legitimate military targets.

The State Department said Thursday it was considering how to respond. The options are limited.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that up to 8,000 North Korean troops are now in Kursk, the Russian region bordering Ukraine where Kyiv’s forces seized a swath of land in a lightning incursion this summer. Kyiv’s leaders put the number around 3,000.

The North Koreans are believed to be part of an overall force of 10,000 soldiers from the pariah state that are now operating in Russia, where Blinken said they are training in artillery and drone warfare as well as basic infantry operations.

“We’ve not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we would expect that to happen in the coming days,” Blinken said at a news conference Thursday with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their South Korean counterparts in Washington.

Blinken said the U.S. was consulting with allies about an appropriate response, and monitoring what Russia has provided or promised to North Korea for its military support.

Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has said whether North Korean troops are in Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday declined to comment on Blinken’s assessment.

North Korea says missile test shows ‘irreversible’ means to deliver nuclear bombs

South Korea, Japan and the US condemned the test; China said it was concerned about developments

https://www.rfa.org/english/korea/2024/11/01/north-korea-missile-test/

By RFA Staff

2024.10.31

A Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during what North Korea says is a drill at an unknown location December 18, 2023 in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA/KCNA via Reuters)

North Korea said on Friday its “milestone” test of a new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile had secured it the “irreversible” status of developing the means to deliver nuclear weapons, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

North Korea fired the intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, on Thursday, days before the U.S. presidential election, in a demonstration of what leader Kim Jong Un said was its determination to “counteract” its rivals and bolster its nuclear forces.

“The test of the latest strategic weapon system updated the recent records of the strategic missile capability of the DPRK and demonstrated the modernity and credibility of its world’s most powerful strategic deterrent,” Yonhap cited the North’s Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, as saying. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK, is North Korea’s official name.

Kim said the test proved the “hegemonic position” that the North had “secured in the development and manufacture of nuclear delivery means of the same kind is absolutely irreversible,” KCNA said.

North Korea said the Hwasong-19 traversed 1,001.2 kilometers (622 miles) at a maximum altitude of 7,687.5 kilometers (4,715 miles) and flew for 5,156 seconds (85.9 minutes), the longest flight time for a North Korean missile.

The South Korean military said it believed the missile was a new solid-fuel ICBM.

Photos carried by North Korean state media showed the missile being fired from a 11-axle transporter erector. Kim’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, also inspected the missile launch, Yonhap reported.

The record-long ICBM test, North Korea’s first since December and its seventh in as many years, indicated its missile program was being helped along by its closer ties to Russia, North Korea observers in the United States told Radio Free Asia.

North Korea sends military to inspect homes for working propaganda speakers

The speakers must be on 17 hours per day, and residents are to be outed if theirs isn’t working.

https://www.rfa.org/english/korea/2024/11/01/north-korea-inspects-broacast-speakers-in-homes/

By Moon Sung Whui for RFA Korean

2024.11.01

A wired speaker is seen in a house in Hamhung, North Korea, on Sept. 15, 2011. (Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images)

The North Korean Army’s main anti-socialism inspection division is going door to door in the northern province of Ryanggang to make sure that hardwired propaganda speakers installed in each home are in working order, residents told Radio Free Asia.

The speakers deliver messages from the local government and play propaganda songs, and residents are told that they are critical in emergencies, including during wartime.

A resident of Ryanggang province, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told RFA that although the speakers were inspected in March by the local post office, this time it is more serious because Unified Command 82 is the inspecting agency.

Unified Command 82 was established in August 2021, when the army merged several anti-socialism inspection units.

Kim Jong Un craves international attention. He’s getting it now.

Hardly a day has gone by in recent weeks without North Korea’s troops in news headlines. U.S. and NATO officials are warning that the deployment of Kim’s troops to Russia is a “very, very serious issue” that could have reverberations in both Europe and the Pacific.

It’s exactly where Kim wants to be: the center of international attention.

North Korea and Russia have been deepening their military cooperation as they join forces against a Western-led global order. Their leaders signed a defense treaty in June, which states that if one country is subject to an “armed invasion,” the other would provide “military and other assistance with all means in its possession.”

“I’ve always thought this a win-win for both sides, united by virulent anti-Americanism,” said John Foreman, who was the British defense attaché to Russia between 2019 and 2022.

“I also think North Korea gets a bit of a prestige boost for aiding Russia. We all know everyone, including Russia and China, has looked down their noses at the DPRK for decades,” Foreman added, using the formal abbreviation for North Korea. “The deal has made people sit up and take notice.”

Kim Jong Un has sent North Korean troops to Russia. What’s in it for him?

The cash-strapped North Korean leader has sent some 10,000 troops to help in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Moscow could be giving him money and nuclear know-how.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/11/01/north-korea-troops-russia-ukraine-kim-putin/

8 min

168

In this photo distributed by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervises artillery firing drills in the country on March 7. (KCNA/KNS/AP)

By Michelle Ye Hee Lee

Updated November 1, 2024 at 11:03 a.m. EDT|Published November 1, 2024 at 5:54 a.m. EDT

TOKYO — Thousands of North Korean soldiers in Russia are believed to be there to aid Moscow’s war against Ukraine, a massive and unprecedented mobilization of troops by Pyongyang for a faraway war that complements the munitions already provided to Moscow by the regime.

The move is something of an about-face by leader Kim Jong Un, who U.S. officials say has provided both weapons and personnel to support Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Since 1953, when the Korean War ended in an armistice, the North has been preparing for conflict to resume with the South — amassing a large arsenal of weapons and one of the biggest militaries in the world.

But Pyongyang has rarely gotten involved in foreign wars due to a long-held belief that its soldiers should be inside its own country, where they can be indoctrinated.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui went so far as to call the conflict a “righteous holy war” while visiting Russia on Friday.

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So officials in Washington, Seoul, Kyiv and beyond are asking: What exactly is Kim getting in return?

Russia and North Korea, two secretive states under heavy international sanctions, are highly unlikely to disclose the terms. While Putin’s need is clear as the war in Ukraine drags on for a third year — more than 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured in the war, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said this week — we may never know exactly what Kim’s motivations are.

But here are key theories of what Kim stands to gain — and what it could mean for his regime.

The regime is almost certainly earning hard currency

U.S. and South Korean officials say Pyongyang has been sending weapons to Russia since 2022, and that about 10,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia to date.

That could amount to enormous sums of money for Kim’s cash-strapped regime.

North Korea has a long history of sending workers — mainly lumberjacks and builders — to Russia, and they provide a stream of valuable foreign currency that helps keep Kim in power.

Those laborers typically make about $650 a month, with $50 to $150 being paid to the worker directly. The rest is split between the regime and the operators who arrange jobs for the laborers, according to a 2024 human rights report by South Korea’s Unification Ministry.

In comparison, the soldiers being sent to Russia now may be making far more per month, with the regime taking even more of a cut than it does with the workers, experts say.

South Korea’s spy agency said last week that Russia is expected to pay each North Korean soldier about $2,000 each month, a total of $20 million per month for 10,000 soldiers.

“We’re talking about a couple hundred million dollars a year in cash, and then, obviously, the weapons sales as well. So we’re talking about billions, potentially,” said Peter Ward, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute in Seoul who specializes in the North Korean economy.

There is no evidence of such a bonanza yet, and there may be little sign of it depending on how the money is spent, Ward said.

While the money could finance some of Kim’s economic efforts, such as bringing more of the economy under his direct control or building more factories to boost domestic production, it could also end up going toward vanity projects — or developing his nuclear and weapons program.

“He must be getting cash and technology. And, you know, sadly, I think that he’s much more interested in the technology than the cash,” Ward said.

North Korea could be getting technological help for its nuclear program

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visit the Vostochny Cosmodrome in southeast Russia on Sept. 13, 2023. (Vladimir Smirnov/Pool/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images)

Pyongyang is highly likely to ask Moscow for cutting-edge technology in exchange for its support for Russia’s war against Ukraine, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said after a meeting with his American counterpart at the Pentagon this week.

“North Korea is very likely to ask for technology transfers in diverse areas,” he said, including for tactical nuclear weapons, reconnaissance satellites, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarines capable of firing ballistic missiles.

Pyongyang and Moscow have a long history of military cooperation, including on nuclear technology and weapons development, dating back to the Soviet-supported foundation of North Korea as a Communist state in 1948.

The Soviet Union helped North Korea build its nuclear research facility at Yongbyon in the 1960s, which became the source for the fissile material used in the six nuclear devices that Pyongyang has detonated since 2006. North Korea is now thought to have assembled 50 nuclear warheads and to have the fissile material for between 70 and 90 nuclear weapons, according to the Arms Control Association.

When it comes to missiles, North Korea has made remarkable technological strides in the past decade. Just this week, Pyongyang set a record when it sent an ICBM 4,350 miles into the atmosphere — more than 17 times higher than the International Space Station.

There are strong indications that North Korea got much of its technology from Russia, experts say.

For example, the North Korean solid-fuel tactical ballistic missile KN-23, first tested in 2019, is “remarkably similar” to the Russian Iskander-M missile, Oleksandr V. Danylyuk, a Ukrainian expert on Russian warfare, wrote in a note for the London-based Royal United Services Institute think tank. The North Korean missile has a maximum range of 430 miles and can be used with both conventional and nuclear warheads.

Now, as the two pariah states grow ever closer, experts say Russia could be providing North Korea with even greater technical assistance for missile and nuclear programs.

Robert Peters, a nuclear and missile expert at the Heritage Foundation, wrote last week that Russia had the potential to “supercharge” North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

Specifically, Washington and Seoul were concerned Russia could help North Korea miniaturize nuclear warheads so they could fit on its missiles — a tricky technical challenge it does not yet appear to have mastered.

Russia is “ideally situated” to help North Korea to put a nuclear warhead on a modern cruise missile or multiple warheads on an ICBM, Peters said. “If North Korea did receive this technical know-how from Russia, the security situation in Northeast Asia would change fundamentally because North Korea would be able to target sites across East Asia and North America with salvos of nuclear-tipped cruise and ballistic missiles,” he wrote.

In addition, sending troops to an active combat zone offers Kim a rare opportunity to improve his conventional capabilities for his army.

Although Kim is believed to have sent technical advisers and some of his most highly trained special forces, including members of the elite “Storm Corps,” North Korea has not been involved in full-scale war since the armistice 70 years ago. The battlefields of Ukraine and Russia would provide it exposure to the latest tactics, including the incredible advances in drone warfare just over the past few years.

“North Korean soldiers will gain practical experience in this war, understanding what land warfare entails, learning the use of artillery, drones, missiles and so on,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a South Korean broadcaster on Thursday as he pushed for an international response to the deployment.

Kim Jong Un craves international attention. He’s getting it now.

Hardly a day has gone by in recent weeks without North Korea’s troops in news headlines. U.S. and NATO officials are warning that the deployment of Kim’s troops to Russia is a “very, very serious issue” that could have reverberations in both Europe and the Pacific.

It’s exactly where Kim wants to be: the center of international attention.

North Korea and Russia have been deepening their military cooperation as they join forces against a Western-led global order. Their leaders signed a defense treaty in June, which states that if one country is subject to an “armed invasion,” the other would provide “military and other assistance with all means in its possession.”

“I’ve always thought this a win-win for both sides, united by virulent anti-Americanism,” said John Foreman, who was the British defense attaché to Russia between 2019 and 2022.

“I also think North Korea gets a bit of a prestige boost for aiding Russia. We all know everyone, including Russia and China, has looked down their noses at the DPRK for decades,” Foreman added, using the formal abbreviation for North Korea. “The deal has made people sit up and take notice.”

The decision is not without risks, however.

For these young soldiers sent to Russia — most of them are in their early 20s, some in their late teens, according to South Korean intelligence — it is their first foray into life outside the totalitarian country. Kim risks the possibility of soldiers deserting the battlefield.

“The defection of North Korean special operation forces would represent an embarrassing blow to the Kim regime,” wrote Andrew Yeo and Hanna Foreman at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

168

Comments

By Michelle Lee

Michelle Ye Hee Lee is The Washington Post's Tokyo bureau chief, covering Japan and the Korean peninsula. follow on X @myhlee

6. How North Korea's elite soldiers could change Ukraine war

We still do not have definite information in the media as to what troops are being deployed and how they will be employed. I can only speculate.

And let's see what kind of troops defect (and then exploit that).

Excerpts:

They are "certainly better trained to fight than Russian conscripts with little to no military experience," Yeo said. "But it's unclear whether Kim Jong Un would send an entire corps of elite troops."

"Based on what other militaries do, these deployed troops will be well trained and equipped because they have an immediate "real world" mission and not an "on call" mission," the CSIS evaluated.

Many of those who pass through North Korea's military end up in non-military tasks like farming and construction, without much intensive combat training at all, Ji Hyun Park, a North Korean defector, now a senior fellow for human security at the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy.

"Given this, it is likely that the North Korean troops deployed to Ukraine are not exclusively elite forces," Park told Newsweek. "While some soldiers may be tasked with psychological warfare operations, most are likely to fill gaps left by Russian forces and act as expendable '"cannon fodder.'"

"If these troops are sent into direct combat and suffer heavy casualties, it would effectively amount to a large-scale massacre," Park said.

The North Korean leader may be less likely to send more elite fighters if casualties rack up anywhere near the rate that Russian troops are sustaining them, Yeo added.

...

Coming from North Korea's cut-off society, there may be issues with communication and working smoothly alongside Russian forces, Yeo said.

"Although North Korean troops are undergoing training in Russian military facilities in the Far East, differences in language, culture, training, and warfighting doctrine, could diminish the effectiveness of North Korean forces until they are better integrated with Russian units," Yeo said.

Footage published online by Russian and Ukrainian sources appeared to show North Korean soldiers at a Russian training ground in the far-eastern Primorsky region, which borders North Korean territory. The Wall Street Journal, citing analysis of videos circulating online and unnamed intelligence officials, reported that the North Korean soldiers are young and appear to have slight builds, indicating some level of hunger among the ranks coming from the secretive nation.

"North Korean troops are conditioned with unwavering loyalty to their leadership and a unique psychological resilience cultivated by the regime," designed to fit a sense of "absolute sacrifice for the state" into Pyongyang's personnel, said Park.

"However, this psychological preparation may not translate effectively into practical resilience in the type of active combat scenarios currently seen in Ukraine, where they would face modernized and highly capable opposition in unfamiliar territory," Park said.

North Korea may also face morale problems if its troops start sustaining casualty figures approaching those Russian fighters are experiencing, added Yeo.

Pyongyang may also stare down issues with desertion and defection, Yeo noted.

A Ukrainian government-backed hotline, designed for Russian soldiers wishing to surrender as prisoners of war, has published an appeal to North Korean soldiers urging them to "not die senselessly on foreign soil." The message was published in Korean.

Ukrainian media reported in mid-October that 18 North Korean soldiers had already deserted close to the border with Ukraine, citing anonymous intelligence officials. This could not be independently verified.

"It is possible that some North Korean soldiers who surrender or are captured by Ukrainian forces may not want to return to Russia or North Korea," Yeo argued. "The defection of North Korean special operation forces would represent an embarrassing blow for the Kim regime."

How North Korea's elite soldiers could change Ukraine war

Newsweek · by Ellie Cook · November 1, 2024

With thousands of North Korean troops deployed to Russia for likely action against Ukraine, there are looming questions over how well the fighters, who lack combat experience, will perform.

It is unclear how many casualties Pyongyang's forces will sustain and just how many of the country's elite soldiers North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be willing to involve in the bloody conflict.

Ukrainian, South Korean and Western intelligence have said in recent weeks that North Korea was sending between 10,000 and 12,000 soldiers to Russia to bolster Moscow's war effort against Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he had told South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol that 3,000 North Korean fighters were on "Russian training grounds in the immediate vicinity of the war zone."

South Korea's intelligence agency said earlier this month that an initial batch of 1,500 fighters had traveled to Russia, and were kitted out with Russian military uniforms, Russian-made weapons and fake documents claiming the fighters were residents of regions in Siberia. More troops were expected to travel soon, the agency said in mid-October.

Washington has said they will be "legitimate military targets" and U.S. envoy to the U.N., Robert Wood, said that if North Korean troops "enter Ukraine in support of Russia, they will surely return in body bags."

How Will Russia Benefit from North Korean Fighters?

There are a few clear advantages to North Korean troops swelling Russia's ranks at this point in the war.

Andrew Yeo, a senior fellow with the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution's Center for Asia Policy Studies, told Newsweek: "North Korean troops will give Russia an immediate boost by sheer virtue of increasing Russian manpower on the front line."

More than two and a half years into a grueling war, both Kyiv and Moscow are searching around for ways to replenish their tired ranks while sidestepping unpopular moves like a wave of mobilization or pulling down the draft age to include younger recruits.

The head of Kyiv's National Security Council, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, told Ukrainian lawmakers earlier this week that Ukraine would draft another 160,000 people into the military.

With thousands of North Korean troops deployed to Russia for likely action against Ukraine, there are looming questions over how well they will perform. With thousands of North Korean troops deployed to Russia for likely action against Ukraine, there are looming questions over how well they will perform. Photo Illustration by Newsweek/Getty Images

Russia in particular has leaned heavily on tactics dubbed "meat grinder" assaults in Ukraine, racking up very high casualty counts with infantry-led attacks to overwhelm defenses. It has produced slow but steady gains in the east of war-torn Ukraine throughout this year. Russia said on Wednesday it had captured Selydove, a town in the eastern Donetsk region on the approach to Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub for Kyiv.

By Ukraine's numbers, Russia has sustained close to 700,000 casualties since February 2022. Western estimates place Moscow's count of those killed and injured at around 610,000, with September the bloodiest month so far.

A senior Estonian intelligence official said in late October that Russian losses could touch 40,000 for the month. Figures from the U.S. suggest Moscow is able to pull in around 30,000 new recruits each month.

Although current numbers of North Korean troops would make up a tiny percentage of Russia's forces in Ukraine, according to the U.S. think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, they could still "free up Russian troops to lead on the offensives and counteroffensives that Russia is focusing on," said Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a professor of international relations at King's College London.

Coming from North Korea's highly militarized society with its extensive army and regular training exercises, the fighters will likely be effective in supporting Russian operations, Pacheco Pardo told Newsweek.

Despite their unfamiliarity with Russia's territory and weapons stockpiles, they probably will not need extensive training on the guns, rifles, mortars and other explosives Russia uses against Ukraine, Pacheco Pardo argued.

"They may be useful in pushing Ukrainian troops out of the areas of the Kursk region," added Yeo.

Kyiv's surprise incursion into Russia's border Kursk region almost three months ago took Russia and many international observers by surprise. Moscow still hasn't managed to strip back Kyiv's grip on the area it controls in Russia, known as the Ukrainian salient, although it has retaken some of the territory Ukraine grasped in the summer in the past few weeks.

Korean People's Army soldiers take part in a mass rally in Pyongyang, North Korea, on September 9, 2018. Kyiv's GUR military intelligence service said it had detected North Korean troops in Kursk. Korean People's Army soldiers take part in a mass rally in Pyongyang, North Korea, on September 9, 2018. Kyiv's GUR military intelligence service said it had detected North Korean troops in Kursk. ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images

One school of thought is that Ukraine's Kursk offensive—largely perceived as a success by Kyiv and embarrassing for Moscow—really made the case for North Korean troops to be deployed to push Ukrainian troops back to the border.

Kyiv's GUR military intelligence service said on Thursday that it had detected North Korean troops in Kursk for the first time the previous day.

At least some of the thousands of fighters are thought to be "Storm Troops," or members of Pyongyang's special operations forces trained for infiltration and assassination. South Korean officials say Pyongyang has around 200,000 members of its special forces, according to the CSIS think tank.

They are "certainly better trained to fight than Russian conscripts with little to no military experience," Yeo said. "But it's unclear whether Kim Jong Un would send an entire corps of elite troops."

"Based on what other militaries do, these deployed troops will be well trained and equipped because they have an immediate "real world" mission and not an "on call" mission," the CSIS evaluated.

Many of those who pass through North Korea's military end up in non-military tasks like farming and construction, without much intensive combat training at all, Ji Hyun Park, a North Korean defector, now a senior fellow for human security at the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy.

"Given this, it is likely that the North Korean troops deployed to Ukraine are not exclusively elite forces," Park told Newsweek. "While some soldiers may be tasked with psychological warfare operations, most are likely to fill gaps left by Russian forces and act as expendable '"cannon fodder.'"

"If these troops are sent into direct combat and suffer heavy casualties, it would effectively amount to a large-scale massacre," Park said.

The North Korean leader may be less likely to send more elite fighters if casualties rack up anywhere near the rate that Russian troops are sustaining them, Yeo added.

What's in It for Pyongyang?

For North Korea, these fighters gain combat experience, which they have not been exposed to on a large scale for decades, since an armistice brought an end to the Korean War in 1953.

North Korea may be able to use its personnel to operate weapons in combat conditions, testing them out and working out how to tweak their equipment.

Pyongyang has supplied Moscow with a significant number of missiles and with millions of shells. Its support, Kyiv's military intelligence chief previously said, makes North Korea the most formidable of Russia's allies for Ukraine to contend with. Kyiv has doggedly targeted ammunition depots storing North Korean munitions in recent months.

Stumbling Blocks

Coming from North Korea's cut-off society, there may be issues with communication and working smoothly alongside Russian forces, Yeo said.

"Although North Korean troops are undergoing training in Russian military facilities in the Far East, differences in language, culture, training, and warfighting doctrine, could diminish the effectiveness of North Korean forces until they are better integrated with Russian units," Yeo said.

Footage published online by Russian and Ukrainian sources appeared to show North Korean soldiers at a Russian training ground in the far-eastern Primorsky region, which borders North Korean territory. The Wall Street Journal, citing analysis of videos circulating online and unnamed intelligence officials, reported that the North Korean soldiers are young and appear to have slight builds, indicating some level of hunger among the ranks coming from the secretive nation.

"North Korean troops are conditioned with unwavering loyalty to their leadership and a unique psychological resilience cultivated by the regime," designed to fit a sense of "absolute sacrifice for the state" into Pyongyang's personnel, said Park.

"However, this psychological preparation may not translate effectively into practical resilience in the type of active combat scenarios currently seen in Ukraine, where they would face modernized and highly capable opposition in unfamiliar territory," Park said.

North Korea may also face morale problems if its troops start sustaining casualty figures approaching those Russian fighters are experiencing, added Yeo.

Pyongyang may also stare down issues with desertion and defection, Yeo noted.

A Ukrainian government-backed hotline, designed for Russian soldiers wishing to surrender as prisoners of war, has published an appeal to North Korean soldiers urging them to "not die senselessly on foreign soil." The message was published in Korean.

Ukrainian media reported in mid-October that 18 North Korean soldiers had already deserted close to the border with Ukraine, citing anonymous intelligence officials. This could not be independently verified.

"It is possible that some North Korean soldiers who surrender or are captured by Ukrainian forces may not want to return to Russia or North Korea," Yeo argued. "The defection of North Korean special operation forces would represent an embarrassing blow for the Kim regime."

Newsweek · by Ellie Cook · November 1, 2024

7. N. Korean FM: strategic value of ties with Russia gains greater importance in severe int'l landscape

Shared values, trust, and respect? Does the Ruiss-north Korea alliance have these? I think not.. It is only a transactional relationship.

N. Korean FM: strategic value of ties with Russia gains greater importance in severe int'l landscape | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Park Boram · November 2, 2024

SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's foreign minister, currently visiting Russia for talks, said the strategic value of her country's relations with Russia holds greater importance in the severe international political landscape, the country's state media reported Saturday.

Choe Son-hui made the remarks during her speech at a ceremony unveiling a plaque honoring North Korean founder Kim Il-sung's first official visit to the former Soviet Union, held at Moscow's Yaroslavl Railway Station the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

It was the KCNA's first coverage of Choe's ongoing visit to Russia.

Choe said that thanks to the close relations between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, "the strategic value and significance of the DPRK-Russia relations are given greater importance in the severe international political landscape." DPRK is the acronym for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The North Korean official also expressed the "belief" that Russia, courageously engaging in the "just" struggle for establishing a new international order, "would achieve a victory without fail" in its war against Ukraine, pledging support for the neighboring country.

"The great friendship and unity" built between North Korea and Russia to attain the common objective "would be firmly carried forward and developed along with the new era of overall efflorescence," she said.

The KCNA report quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who attended the ceremony, as saying in his speech that the cooperative relations between the two nations are accelerating to a new high across all fields.

Lavrov referred to a recently signed treaty between their two nations pledging mutual defense, stating that "the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership ... has already entered the phase of practical implementation."

Choe has been in Russia on an official visit since Tuesday, as the North is confirmed to have dispatched troops to Russia for potential engagement in Russia's war against Ukraine.

The previous day, Choe held talks with Lavrov, stating that the current situation on the Korean Peninsula requires Pyongyang to make efforts to bolster its readiness against nuclear retaliation.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui (C) enters a room for talks with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in this photo published by Russia's TASS news agency. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

pbr@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Park Boram · November 2, 2024

8. Editorial: 'DPRK denuclearization' omission in SCM statement raises S. Korea's security risks

Secretary Blinken cleared this up at the "2+2" presser. Declaration remains the US policy.

Remember also the military does not make policy. It provides military capabilities to support policy execution.

Denuclearization remains the policy. The question is how to get there.

However, in my opinion the only path to denuclearization goes through unification. Until unification can occur the military must support deterrence and assist in disrupting or delaying nuclear developments. (It would have been great if Secretary Blinken had said that the US policy remains denuclearization but the only likely path to it is through support for Korean unification.)

That said the is cause to be concerned with the statements of some official (not military) who may be calling for "interim steps" that might include arms control negotiations. Such negotiations would be a victory for Kim Jong Un's political warfare strategy. They would not lead to any increased security for the ROK and US nor would they lessen the potential for a nuclear attack because Kim will always retain his nuclear capabilities. These are concerns, but do not blame the military alliance for them.

Editorial: 'DPRK denuclearization' omission in SCM statement raises S. Korea's security risks

https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion-en/2024/11/01/CVOOBKWBJRBGVFI5H62ZSR2ACM/

By The Chosunilbo

Published 2024.11.01. 09:11

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (L) looks on as South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-Hyun (R), delivers remarks during a joint press conference with at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. on Oct. 30, 2024. Secretary Austin is hosting the South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun for the US-Republic of Korea (ROK) Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), at the Pentagon. /EPA, SHAWN THEW

In a joint statement issued on Oct. 30 (local time) during the 56th U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in the U.S., the phrase “complete denuclearization of North Korea” was noticeably absent. Instead, the focus shifted to strengthening “combined capabilities to deter and respond to DPRK missiles.” Since 2016, when North Korea’s nuclear capabilities began escalating, the term “denuclearization” has been a fixture in SCM statements, making this the first omission in nine years. Responding to the ensuing controversy, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense clarified that the “denuclearization position will be addressed in the U.S.-South Korea Foreign and Defense Ministers’ meeting on the 31st.”

This adjustment reflects a broader trend in U.S. rhetoric this year, with references to “North Korean denuclearization” becoming noticeably scarce. Notably, the term was absent from both Republican and Democratic party platforms ahead of the U.S. presidential election. In March, a senior White House advisor noted, “If intermediate steps toward denuclearization can enhance safety on the Korean Peninsula and globally, we are open to them.”

The U.S. and South Korea prioritize North Korea’s nuclear issue differently: for the U.S., nuclear non-proliferation is the primary concern, while South Korea focuses on protecting its citizens and ensuring national security from North Korean threats. This difference highlights distinct core interests. Should the U.S. view North Korean denuclearization as unlikely, it may pivot to “nuclear arms reduction” talks with North Korea, potentially involving oversight of South Korea’s nuclear activities. This framework could allow Kim Jong-un to retain nuclear capabilities in exchange for lifting sanctions—a prospect that raises significant security concerns for South Korea.

On Oct. 31, Kim Jong-un test-fired an ICBM capable of reaching the U.S., pledging to continue his “unwavering nuclear force enhancement.” Additionally, South Korea’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) reported that North Korea has completed preparations for a seventh nuclear test. In light of these developments, discussions may shift from denuclearization to arms limitation talks between recognized nuclear-armed states, regardless of the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. Should North Korea, which has deployed troops to Russia, receive a nuclear-powered submarine and ICBM re-entry technology in return—thereby completing its strategic nuclear arsenal—the U.S. may consider nuclear negotiations as a way to manage the situation. This possibility could become more likely if Trump is elected.

Amid these developments, the U.S. could ultimately abandon “North Korean denuclearization” as an achievable goal. South Korea, however, holds firm. Having renounced nuclear armament, South Korea insists that the international community must not permit North Korea to retain nuclear capabilities while South Korea has relinquished its own. As Kim Jong-un advances ICBMs and nuclear submarine capabilities, questions whether the U.S. would genuinely risk New York to defend Seoul necessarily rise. If the global consensus may lean away from “North Korean denuclearization,” South Korea’s stance remains resolute. The inclusion of this term in U.S.-South Korea joint statements underscores South Korea’s unwavering position. Even during the Moon Jae-in administration, which prioritized inter-Korean diplomacy, the SCM statement included “North Korean denuclearization.” Its absence under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is, therefore, striking.

9. North Korea Says It Will Back Russia Until 'Victory' In Ukraine

Victory.

I wonder if Russia or north Korea have a Colonel Kilgore: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning... Smells like victory... Someday this war's gonna end"

November 01, 2024

By RFE/RL

North Korea Says It Will Back Russia Until 'Victory' In Ukraine

https://www.rferl.org/a/north-korea-russia-troops-victory-ukraine/33183286.html?utm

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (right) welcomes North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui after her arrival in Moscow on November 1.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said Pyongyang will stand by Russia until "victory" in Ukraine as Washington predicted North Korean troops in Russia's Kursk region will enter the fight against Kyiv in the coming days.

At a meeting with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov after arriving in Moscow on November 1, Choe hailed the "very close ties" between the armed and special services of the two countries, and "we will always stand firmly by our Russian comrades until victory day."

After weeks of intelligence reports warning that thousands of North Korean troops were heading to Russia, confirmation that Pyongyang's soldiers are not only on Russian soil but have already been deployed in a western region bordering Ukraine have raised fears of a potential escalation in the war, triggered by Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis

RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Blinken reiterated that the troops -- some 8,000 North Korean soldiers are believed to now be in the Kursk region -- would become "legitimate military targets" if they are deployed.

Blinken's comments came the same day that the United States, South Korea, and Japan released a joint statement condemning an ICBM test-launch by Pyongyang as a “flagrant violation” of numerous UN Security Council resolutions.

The timing of the case coincides with a period of strained U.S.-Russia relations, exacerbated by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions aimed at weakening Moscow's position.

Prior to his meeting with Choe, Lavrov told the Turkish daily newspaper Hurriyet that "Russophobia" from the U.S. administration had brought Russia and the United States to "the brink of direct military conflict."

Choe said in Moscow that the situation on the Korean Peninsula could become "explosive" at any moment and therefore North Korea needed to strengthen its nuclear arsenal and readiness to deliver a retaliatory nuclear strike if necessary.

10. President Yoon's approval rating drops to 10% range

As my first Platoon Sergeant said when he faced criticism from the troops. I did not join the Army to have friends. That is what I got married for.

I wonder if President Yoon feels the same way?

President Yoon's approval rating drops to 10% range

donga.com

Posted November. 02, 2024 07:19,

Updated November. 02, 2024 07:19

President Yoon's approval rating drops to 10% range. November. 02, 2024 07:19. by Na-Ri Shin journari@donga.com.

A recent polling result showed that the respondent ratio positively assessed President Yoon Suk Yeol's running of state affairs, which has fallen into the 10% range for the first time since his inauguration. That means the so-called 'psychological limit' of the 20% threshold has collapsed even before reaching the halfway point of his term. The psychological limit of 20% is widely believed to be a significant loss of the incumbent administration's momentum for running state affairs. The ruling party is also raising voices, saying that the 10%-range approval rating is usually seen only at the end of a term and that the approval will continue to fall if President Yoon does not take any firm action.

According to the polls conducted between Tuesday and Thursday and released on Friday by Gallup Korea, the positive assessment of President Yoon's governance was recorded at 19%, a record-low during the term, and the negative assessment reached 72%, a record high.

In particular, Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, traditional conservative strongholds, showed an 18% approval rating, a whopping 8 percentage points drop from last week's 26%. The figure signals conservatives are starting to turn their backs away from the president, recording an approval rating 1 percentage point lower than the national average. It is the first time that Yoon's approval rating dipped to the 10% range in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. It is lower than that after the heavy by-election defeat on April 26.

Yoon's approval ratings on running the state affairs are sliding down in many of the key stronghold regions other than Daegu and Gyeongbuk, including Busan and Gyeongnam, as well as the support base of the ruling People Power Party, conservatives, and those in the 60s. Approval ratings in the Busan and Gyeongnam regions posted 22%, a 5-percentage-point drop from last week, and those of voters in their 60s and over also recorded 24%, a 7% point drop since last week. On top of that, only 33% of the self-professed conservatives said they support Yoon's running state affairs, a 7-percentage-point drop from the last week, and a mere 44% of the ruling People Power party supporters view President Yoon positively, a 4-percentage-point drop from last week's 48%.

Many believe that the approval ratings may have been affected by the call recording featuring a conversation between President Yoon and Myeong Tae-kyun, a key figure in alleged nomination interference disclosed by the opposition Democratic Party on Thursday. Gallup Korea analyzed that the effect of the disclosed call recording may be reflected later, meaning that the approval rating can further go down.

High-ranking officials at the People Power Party also noted that the key support base is confirmed to be draining out. They also said that President Yoon should be straightforward about the suspicions surrounding the First Lady and make sweeping changes to stop the approval ratings from plummeting further.

Presidential Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-suk also said during the inspection of the National Assembly steering committee that he believes that President Yoon also knows about the polling results and that he will exert himself to persuade and win the hearts of the other side.

한국어

donga.com

11. Kim Jong-un's powerful sister condemns UN's criticism of N. Korean ICBM launch

The bad cop. The evil sister. The world's most dangerous woman.

Kim Jong-un's powerful sister condemns UN's criticism of N. Korean ICBM launch

The Korea Times · November 2, 2024

Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party / Yonhap

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, condemned the United Nations, Saturday, for criticizing the country's recent test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), reaffirming Pyongyang's stance to retain nuclear weapons development.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced, Thursday, North Korea's launch of a Hwasong-19 ICBM as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Workers' Party's Central Committee, expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with Guterres' remarks, calling them "unfair and prejudiced" in a statement carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Saturday.

Kim accused countries "hostile" to North Korea of forming a military bloc based on nuclear weapons, asking, "Does the U.N. secretary-general think ... peace can be ensured on the Korean peninsula" if North Korea restrains itself?

She also reaffirmed the North Korean leader's stand of never changing the country's "line of bolstering" its nuclear forces.

"Have sanctions, pressure and threats stopped us? They have only made us stronger," she said, stressing that the country "will never tolerate any attempt to threaten the security environment of the state."

In a separate statement carried by the KCNA, the North's foreign ministry also protested the UNSC's plan to convene a meeting Monday on North Korea's latest ICBM launch.

The ministry accused "hostile forces" of creating a critical situation against the security environment of North Korea through "illegal double standards," strongly denouncing the meeting as a violation of the U.N. Charter and a "grave challenge" to international peace and security.

"The more provocative act the hostile forces take in defiance of the DPRK's grave warning, the stronger counteraction they will face," the ministry said, using the acronym for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · November 2, 2024

12. N. Korea, Russia blame US and its allies for tensions amid NK troop dispatch

A variation of admit nothing, deny everything, and make counter accusations.

N. Korea, Russia blame US and its allies for tensions amid NK troop dispatch

The Korea Times · November 2, 2024

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui attend a ceremony unveiling a memorial plaque dedicated to Kim Il-sung's visit to the USSR in 1949, at Moscow's Yaroslavsky railway station, in this handout picture taken and released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Nov. 1. AFP-Yonhap

North Korea and Russia have accused the United States and its allies for being the "root cause" of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, reaffirming their commitment to implementing the new bilateral treaty, the North's state media reported Saturday.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov shared the views during their "strategic dialogue" held in Moscow on Friday (local time), a press statement released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Choe has been on a trip to Russia since Monday. Her visit came at a time when tensions have heightened with the North's deployment of thousands of its troops to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine.

Choe's trip also coincided with the North's launch of the Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Thursday, its first such test launch that came just days ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

"The two sides expressed the common understanding that the root cause of ever-escalating tensions in the Korean peninsula, Northeast Asia and other parts of the world lies in the provocations of the U.S. and its vassal countries," the statement read.

"The exchange of views on major international issues confirmed that the two sides are unanimous in their assessment of the present international situation," it said.

The U.S. has said about 10,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia, with 8,000 of them sent to the front lines near Ukraine expected to join the combat soon.

There was no mention about the North's troop dispatch in the statement.

North Korea has forged stronger ties with Russia, claiming to have elevated their relations with a new treaty that comes with a provision committing to mutual military assistance in the event of an attack on either side.

At the dialogue, Lavrov expressed Russia's "full support" for the measures North Korea has taken to deter the "aggressive policy" of the U.S. and its allies, the KCNA said, apparently meaning its support for the North's latest ICBM launch.

Choe and Lavrov also had in-depth discussions on "practical issues" to enhance their ties further, including implementing the agreements from the treaty, signed between the North's leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at their June summit.

The dialogue marked an "important occasion" in the development of their bilateral relations in line with the new partnership treaty, it added.

Ahead of the talks, Choe attended a ceremony at Yaroslavl Railway Station in northeast Moscow for the unveiling of a plaque to honor the first visit to Russia by North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung in 1949.

In a speech at the ceremony, Choe stressed the strategic value of her country's relations with Russia holds greater importance in the grave international political situation, the KCNA reported.

"The strategic value and significance of the DPRK-Russia relations are given greater importance in the severe international political landscape," Choe said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Before flying to Moscow, Choe visited the Russian city of Vladivostok in the Far East, a location where South Korea and Western nations believe the North Korean soldiers are undergoing adaptation training for possible deployment to the war front lines in Ukraine. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · November 2, 2024

13. S. Korea, US pledge coordinated response against NK troops in Russia

S. Korea, US pledge coordinated response against NK troops in Russia

The Korea Times · November 1, 2024

From left, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin participate in a joint press conference at the State Department in Washington, Thursday (local time), following a 2+2 meeting. AFP-Yonhap

Pyongyang claims to have test launched 'ultimate' version of ICBM

By Lee Hyo-jin

South Korea and the United States vowed to cooperate in addressing the challenges posed by growing North Korea-Russia military cooperation, anticipating that North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk Region may soon engage in combat against Ukraine in the coming days.

The commitment came during a "two-plus-two" meeting in Washington, Thursday (local time), where top foreign and defense officials from both nations discussed regional security threats.

The meeting took place a day after Pyongyang test-fired what it claimed to be the latest version of its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which is believed to have achieved the longest-ever flight for a North Korean missile.

Attending the meeting were South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, and their U.S. counterparts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. It was the sixth such gathering since the previous session was held in Seoul in 2021.

In a joint statement, the officials condemned the deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia, including the illegal arms transfers and the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia.

"They made clear that this military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK constitutes not only a violation of multiple United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions but also prolongs the suffering of the Ukrainian people and threatens stability in both the Indo-Pacific and Europe," the statement read, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, along with his daughter Ju-ae, oversee a test launch of what the regime claimed to be the latest version of its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Thursday, in this photo carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. Yonhap

The two nations vowed to respond to the North Korea-Russia security cooperation by closely monitoring developments and further exposing Moscow's support for Pyongyang. South Korean officials have expressed concerns that Moscow may provide Pyongyang with advanced military technology in exchange for troops and munitions to support Russia's war with Ukraine.

At a press conference following the meeting, Austin stated that Russia has been training North Korean soldiers in artillery, drones and infantry operations, suggesting that Moscow plans to deploy these forces in frontline roles in the coming days.

However, he noted that there were no indications Moscow had assisted Pyongyang with the latest ICBM launch, which set a record 86-minute flight before falling into the East Sea, according to South Korea's analysis.

"In our assessment phase, and we don’t see any indication at this point that there was Russian involvement," Austin said.

This photo carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Friday shows the launch of what the regime claimed to be the Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile the previous day. Yonhap

The previous day, North Korea launched what it claims was the Hwasong-19, described as the "ultimate version" of its ICBMs.

Kim Jong-un, who supervised the launch, expressed satisfaction and reaffirmed that North Korea would continue strengthening its nuclear arsenal, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Friday.

"The security situation of our state and ever-aggravating prospective threats and challenges require us to continue to bolster up our modern strategic attack forces and more perfectly round off our nuclear forces' response posture," Kim was quoted as saying.

North Korea asserted that the missile launch was in response to the "frantic arms buildup" by "U.S. imperialists and the ROK puppet forces."

ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.

The ICBM launch came as South Korean authorities are deliberating on how to respond to the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia. According to the U.S. authorities, around 8,000 North Korean troops are expected to be dispatched to the front lines in the coming days.

Officials in Seoul are concerned that combat experience gained on the battlefield could significantly boost the North's military readiness.

"Depending on the developments in military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, relevant measures, corresponding measures, will be taken accordingly. We need to see the level of involvement of the DPRK forces in Russia, and we also need to watch what kind of quid pro quo the DPRK will be receiving from Russia," South Korea’s foreign minister said during the press briefing in Washington, in response to a query about whether Seoul plans to provide lethal aid to Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks with Ukrainian journalists in Kyiv, Oct. 21 (local time). AP-Yonhap

The Ukrainian government is preparing to send a special envoy to Seoul in the coming days, while a team of South Korean observers is set to visit Ukraine to monitor the North Korean troop activities in the war.

Much attention is paid as to whether these developments would prompt South Korea to shift its current stance of providing only humanitarian and financial aid to the war-torn nation.

In an interview with South Korean broadcaster KBS that aired on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a special envoy would formally request weapons from South Korea, emphasizing the urgent need for air defense systems to counter Russian attacks.

Regarding Zelenskyy's comments, a defense ministry official told The Korea Times, Friday, that "the government's stance on Ukraine support remains unchanged. We will make corresponding response depending on how the situation develops."

The Korea Times · November 1, 2024

14. Ukraine has ALREADY wiped out 40 ‘elite’ N.Korean soldiers in invaded Kursk

Take this with a huge grain of salt. It is based on the single twitter video we have seen.

But there are lots graphics, photos, and maps at the link: https://www.the-sun.com/news/12798788/ukraine-north-korea-russia-kursk/

But when this happens for real we need to be ready with a PSYOP campaign to exploit their failure.

Ukraine has ALREADY wiped out 40 ‘elite’ N.Korean soldiers in invaded Kursk

One of the surviving North Korean soldiers said Russia 'betrayed' and 'fooled them' to fight against Ukraine

Sayan BoseMark Law HitchingsWill Stewart
Published: 9:19 ET, Nov 1 2024Updated: 12:46 ET, Nov 1 2024

the-sun.com · by Sayan BoseMark Law HitchingsWill Stewart · November 1, 2024

CRACK Ukrainian troops have already wiped out at least 40 "elite" North Korean soldiers deployed by Vladimir Putin to regain his invaded Kursk territory.

It comes just days after thousands of soldiers from Pyongyang were sent deep inside Russia to help Moscow win its bloody war against Ukraine.

Footage geolocated by OSINT accounts shows North Korean troops being trained by RussiaCredit: Avalon.red

Images reportedly show thousands of Kim's troops are inside Ukraine

Tyrant Putin and ruthless dictaoitor Kim Jong-un have been forging a close relationship to form an 'Axis of Evil'Credit: AP

Evil Putin and ruthless dictator Kim Jong-un have been forging a close relationship to form what has been dubbed an "Axis of evil" against the West.

The tubby tyrant is now committed to helping out a desperate Putin - who has been losing a record number of men - to win back Kursk.

He has sent 10,000 troops to help them fight off Kyiv's troops in the Kursk region and win the "holy war".

However, up to 40 North Korean soldiers have already been killed during their first engagement with Ukrainian troops in Kursk.

One severely wounded survivor who is now being treated in a field hospital said: "Russian dogs rushed us to attack," but that the Ukrainians had "covered us in artillery and drones".

Speaking of the bloodbath assault from Kyiv, which happened near the village of Lyubimovka, he said: "There were forty of us, but all are dead.

"I am all alone here now, I have nothing left to lose."

Heavily bandaged and lying in what appears to be a makeshift hospital bed, the soldier revealed the horror of the assault, saying that his brother[s] Kim and Minho had been killed and that he had survived by hiding under headless bodies.

He claims that he was told that they would be guarding infrastructure, but that the North Koreans were "betrayed" and were "sent on an assault in the Kursk region".

The soldier added: "The Russians did not provide us with anything.

"They threw us into an assault without prior intelligence, without ammunition, without normal weapons."

Chilling truth behind North Korean troops joining Putin's war - and why it could ignite BIGGER conflict

Choe Son Hui, North Korea's foreign minister who met Kremlin’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov in Moscow today, said: "Kim Jong-un gave us orders that we should invariably and powerfully support and provide assistance to the Russian army their holy war."

But ever since North Korean military presence on Russian soil was confirmed, several experts have cast doubts over the military abilities of Pyongyang's troops.

One senior Ukrainian commander exclusively told The Sun: "They’re not a credible force.

"I can’t think of anyone in the [Ukrainian military] that would worry about finding themselves on the zero line facing Kim Jong-Un’s troops."

"I don't have any sympathy for the North Korean [...] Putin is just using them for the meat grinder."

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said that more North Korean troops, dressed in Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment, are headed towards the border - dubbing the move "dangerous and destabilising".

Austin, speaking alongside the South Korean Defence Minister, Kim Yong Hyun, said that the "likelihood is pretty high" that Russia will use the North Korean troops in combat.

But Kyiv believes most of the North Koreans deployed to fight will try to abandon their positions and flee the war.

"We believe that many [of the North Koreans] will desert their posts to defect, most likely to try and reach South Korea," said the Ukrainian commander.

"If you were a North Korean, wouldn’t you do the same?"

The Sun revealed a few days ago how at least 18 soldiers from North Korea fled from their positions before even reaching the frontlines.

Cruel Russian authorities detained at least 18 soldiers who were found some 40 miles away from their designated military positions, The Kyiv Independent reported.

They were trying to escape after reportedly being left inside a forest in Kursk without food and other essentials for days.

A source from Ukraine's Ministry of Defence told The Kyiv Post: "It was established that the North Koreans were training Russian soldiers in the use of balloons for military purposes.

"Meanwhile, the Russian soldiers were teaching the North Koreans modern infantry combat tactics."

Ukrainian forces are thought to be in control of more than a thousand square kilometres of sovereign Russian territory in the Kursk region, including the strategically important town of Sudzha.

North Korea's troops are said to be deployed in the Kursk region where fighting has continued for monthsCredit: Reuters

A handout from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) shows what it claims to be North Korean troops were gathered at Russia's Ussuriysk military facilityCredit: AFP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov welcomes his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui, in Moscow, Russia, November 1, 2024Credit: Reuters

ESCALATION OF WAR

Putin has been sent around 10,000 troops to be trained up before being deployed in the Kursk region in "the next several weeks," says Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh.

She added: "We are increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region."

General Kim Yong Bok, the deputy head of the North Korean army, is reportedly set to march into Ukraine alongside Pyongyang’s troops, according to Kyiv’s intelligence.

Bok, known as a veteran of the country’s Storm Corps special forces, is often pictured standing beside his tyrant boss and taking down notes.

Ukraine believes Bok will be the highest-ranked North Korean officer sent to help Russia, they told the United Nations this week.

At the same meeting between Kyiv and the UN, shocking new figures emerged stating that over 8,000 North Korean troops may enter the war zone in Kursk.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news conference in Washington that he expects the troops to begin combat "in the coming days".

He added that Russian troops have been asked to train up the new recruits in artillery, drones and "basic infantry operations, including trench clearing".

In a stern warning to the North Korean regime, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said: "Make no mistake, if these North Korean troops engage in combat or combat support operations against Ukraine, they would make themselves legitimate military targets."

Other US officials have previously said any foreign fighter helping out an enemy of the US will only ever return home in "body bags".

'DON'T DIE ON FOREIGN SOIL'

Ukraine has asked North Korean troops to surrender rather than die for their dictator.

A message written in both Korean and Russian says: "We appeal to the fighters of the Korean People's Army not to die senselessly on foreign soil.

“You should not repeat the fate of hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers who will never return home.

"Surrender now and Ukraine will shelter you, feed you and warm you."

A video shared by Kyiv's forces shows a PoW camp built to accommodate North Korean troops who choose to surrender.

It says: "The prisoners of war in the camp will be kept in large, warm and bright rooms with separate sleeping quarters.

"They will receive three meals a day, including meat, fresh vegetables and bread."

A Ukrainian PoW camp built to accommodate North Lroean troops who choose to surrenderCredit: East2West

Ukraine says North Korean PoWs will be given hit food three times a day if they give up their arms

Picture of one of the rooms inside the camp

DESPERATE VLAD

Putin has now suffered over 600,000 casualties as Ukraine fights to valiantly defend itself.

The tyrant's latest power move to try and wrestle back control of the territory has seen him lean on North Korea for additional men.

Officials have also detected signs that North Korea is relocating family members of soldiers chosen to be sent to Russia to special sites to isolate them.

World leaders say if North Korean troops are seen in Ukraine then it would be a clear sign of desperation from a paranoid Vlad.

Finland's President Alexander Stubb told Reuters: "We're just seeing how desperate Russia is.

"Its allies are not too many around this world.

"It relies on Iranian weapons, it relies on North Korean soldiers. How much worse can it get?"

It comes as the North Korean despot has also been supplying tens of thousands of containers of weapons to Russia for its illegal invasion.

Kim has sent 13,000 shipping containers carrying arms to Russia for the war over a two-year period, one South Korean minister said.

Ammunition supplies are critical for Russia to continue prosecuting its war and killing innocent Ukrainians.

In January, Russia used North Korean missiles to blitz Ukraine for the first time killing at least 50 people.

At the end of last month, small North Korean tanks, named Bulsae-4, were even spotted fighting in Ukraine.

North Korea has denied supplying the Kremlin with ballistic missiles and artillery shells.

But reports say Kim has even pledged to send 15,000 tunnellers to Ukraine to dig a Hamas-style underground front.

Russia is using "dark" ships with their GPS turned off so they can't be tracked to ship some of the containers.

In return, Putin is said to be protecting his pal at the UN by vetoing bodies supposed to enforce the sanctions against North Korea.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un posing with troops during an inspection at a training base on OctoberCredit: AFP

One of Kim Jong-un's closest allies, General Kim Yong Bok, is set to lead the North Korean troops into battleCredit: REX

North Korea fired a ballistic missile that flew for 86 minutes — setting a record for PyongyangCredit: AP

the-sun.com · by Sayan BoseMark Law HitchingsWill Stewart · November 1, 2024

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."

Access NSS HERE

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