Former North Korean troopers inform BBC how troops preventing in Russia would possibly behave

What Haneul remembers most about his time within the North Korean military is the persistent, nagging starvation. He misplaced 20 kilos throughout his first month of service, because of a weight loss program of cracked corn and moldy cabbage.

After three months of coaching, he mentioned virtually his whole battalion was severely malnourished and needed to be despatched to a restoration heart to realize weight again.

After they had been later deployed as front-line guards on the border with South Korea, rice changed corn. However by the point it reached their bowls, a lot of it had been siphoned off by the rear models, and the remainder had been minimize up with sand.

Haneul says his unit was among the many greatest fed, a tactic to forestall them from defecting to South Korea. However that didn’t cease Haneul.

In 2012, he rushed throughout the demilitarized zone (DMZ) – the strip of land separating the North from the South.

His expertise and that of different army defectors are serving to to make clear the situation of 1000’s of North Korean troopers deployed to the entrance strains of Russia’s struggle in opposition to Ukraine.

Pyongyang has would have sent around 11,000 soldiers to assist Russian forces retake a part of the Kursk area taken by Ukraine throughout a shock summer time offensive.

Earlier this week, Seoul, Washington and Kyiv said mentioned troopers had now entered the battle “in vital numbers” and reported the primary casualties, with South Korean officers estimating that greater than 100 individuals had already been killed and others injured. This determine has not been confirmed.

Nonetheless, defectors and different army specialists informed the BBC that these troops shouldn’t be underestimated.

In keeping with South Korean intelligence, most belong to the elite Storm Corps unit and have “excessive morale” however “lack understanding of up to date warfare.”

Solely the tallest, most athletic males are chosen for the Storm Corps, says defector Lee Hyun Seung, who skilled North Korean particular forces within the early 2000s earlier than defecting in 2014.

He taught them martial arts, learn how to throw knives and make weapons from cutlery and different kitchen utensils.

However though the Storm Corps’ coaching is extra superior than that of normal North Korean models, the troopers are nonetheless undernourished, if not undernourished.

Movies on-line, apparently displaying troops in Russia, present troopers who’re youthful and “fragile,” Haneul says. They distinction sharply with Pyongyang’s propaganda movies, the place we see males breaking out of iron chains and breaking blocks of ice with their naked palms.

Throughout his whole time within the army, Haneul claims to have solely fired three rounds throughout a single live-fire coaching session.

The closest there was to fight got here when a ravenous farmer stumbled into the demilitarized zone searching for greens. Haneul mentioned he ignored directions to “shoot any intruder” and let the person go together with a warning.

It is troublesome to know the way a lot issues have modified within the decade since Haneul’s defection, given the ignorance from North Korea. It seems that the nation’s chief, Kim Jong Un, has devoted a lot of his restricted assets to missiles and nuclear weapons quite than his standing military.

However based on one other soldier, Ryu Seonghyun, who defected in 2019, the primary three years within the military are “extremely powerful”, even for particular forces. The 28-year-old, who labored as a driver within the air drive for seven years, says that in his service, situations deteriorated and rice step by step disappeared from meals.

“Troopers are despatched into the mountains for days with a small quantity of rice, and informed it’s a part of their survival coaching.”

On condition that these troops had been skilled to battle on the mountainous Korean Peninsula, defectors marvel how properly they are going to adapt to preventing on the plains and within the trenches of Kursk.

Importantly, the Storm Corps usually are not a frontline unit. “Their mission is to infiltrate enemy strains and create chaos deep inside enemy territory,” Ryu explains.

However, he provides, Kim Jong Un has no various however to ship in particular forces, as a result of common troopers spend most of their time farming, constructing or reducing wooden.

“Kim Jong Un wanted to ship males who may display not less than some stage of fight means, to keep away from damaging North Korea’s popularity in Russia.”

The language barrier appears to have created a further impediment. On Sunday, Ukraine’s army intelligence unit mentioned communications issues led North Korean troopers to by accident fireplace on a Russian battalion, killing eight individuals.

With these assessments, it may be simple to view the troops as “cannon fodder” and an indication of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desperation. However that might be a mistake, defectors say. Their loyalty to the regime and their combativeness will depend for lots.

“Most Storm Corps troopers come from working-class or farming households, who’re very obedient to the celebration and can observe orders with out query,” says Haneul, whose father and cousin had been within the particular forces.

Intense ideological “brainwashing” classes held each morning will additional guarantee they’re mentally prepared, Lee provides. He believes that North Korean troops will “get used to the battlefield, be taught to battle the enemy and discover methods to outlive.”

Despite the fact that the troopers won’t have had a alternative whether or not or to not be deployed, Ryu believes that many can have wished to go. Bold individuals will see it as a possibility to advance their careers, he says.

And given how troublesome it’s to serve in North Korea, some can have relished the chance to expertise life overseas for the primary time.

“I feel they are going to be extra keen to battle than the Russian troops,” he provides, admitting that of their scenario he too would have wished to be despatched.

Chun In-bum, a former South Korean particular forces commander, agrees with the defectors’ assessments. “Simply because they lack meals and coaching does not imply they’re incapable. They are going to acclimatize shortly. We should not underestimate them.”

Whereas 11,000 troops are unlikely to have the ability to flip the tide in such a lethal struggle of attrition – Russia is estimated to be struggling greater than a thousand casualties a day – specialists and officers say that this might solely be the primary tranche, with Pyongyang probably in a position to ship as much as 60,000 troops. and even 100,000 within the occasion of rotation.

In keeping with Mr. Chun, these figures may show efficient.

Kim Jong Un may also be capable of shoulder heavy losses with out affecting the steadiness of his regime, the previous troopers say.

“Those that have been despatched shall be males with out affect or connections – to place it bluntly, those that may be sacrificed with out downside,” says Haneul.

He recollects being shocked to be taught that there have been no kids of high-ranking mother and father in his frontline unit: “That is after I realized we had been unusable . »

He doesn’t anticipate a lot resistance from the households of the deceased, whose sons, he says, shall be honored as heroes.

“There are numerous mother and father who’ve misplaced a baby after sending them to the military,” he provides, referring to his deceased first cousin. His aunt obtained a certificates commending her son for his heroic contribution.

The loyalty of troopers and their households may blunt Ukrainian and South Korean hopes that a lot of them would merely defect as soon as they entered fight. kyiv and Seoul mentioned conducting psychological operations alongside the entrance line to encourage males to give up.

Nevertheless it appears they do not have entry to cell telephones. In keeping with Ukrainian intelligence, even Russian troopers’ telephones are seized earlier than they meet North Korean troops.

Thus, doable infiltration methods embrace broadcasting messages by way of loudspeakers or utilizing drones to drop leaflets.

Ryu and Haneul determined to defect after studying anti-regime propaganda despatched throughout the border from South Korea. However they doubt it would work so removed from dwelling.

They are saying it takes a very long time to develop the need and braveness to defect.

Moreover, Haneul suspects that the police can have been ordered to shoot anybody attempting to flee. He remembers his comrades opening fireplace as he made his daring dash throughout the DMZ.

“Twelve bullets flew only one meter above my head,” he mentioned.

Even capturing North Korean troops may show troublesome for Ukraine.

Within the North, being a prisoner of struggle is taken into account extraordinarily shameful and worse than dying. As an alternative, troopers are taught to commit suicide, by capturing themselves or detonating a grenade.

Ryu remembers a well-known army track known as Save the Final Bullet. “They inform you to save lots of two bullets, one to shoot the enemy and one to shoot your self.”

Nonetheless, Lee, a former particular forces coach, is decided to assist. He provided to go to the entrance to speak immediately with the army.

“It is unlikely they’re going to defect in giant numbers, however we now have to attempt. Listening to acquainted voices like mine and others in North Korea may have an effect on their psychology,” he says.

Haneul simply hopes they return to North Korea. He is aware of that it’s doable that a few of his kin had been among the many troops despatched to assist Russia.

“I simply hope they get by this and are available again secure.”

Further reporting by Jake Kwon and Hosu Lee