Escaped North Koreans have sent a terrifying warning to the thousands of young soldiers being sent to Russia to reportedly help fight in its war against Ukraine.
Kim Jong-un’s troops are said to have no real combat experience, no familiarity with the terrain and will likely be shoved into the most ferocious battlefields, with observers claiming the troops have already arrived at the front. Former North Korean soldiers have said the young troops will likely see their deployment as an opportunity to make good money and win preferred treatment for their families back home, and so may view their Russian tour with pride.
But Lee Woong-gil, a former member of the same special forces unit, the Storm Corps, sent the rumoured 12,000 troops a chilling warning saying: “Most of them won’t likely come back home alive.” He explained: “They are too young and won’t understand exactly what it means. They’ll just consider it an honor to be selected as the ones to go to Russia among the many North Korean soldiers. But I think most of them won’t likely come back home alive.”
Around one million Ukrainians and Russians are believed to have been killed or wounded since the war began, with the majority of dead being soldiers on both sides, followed by Ukrainian civilians.
Fears around North Korea’s likely participation in the Russian-Ukraine escalated this week when the Pentagon said North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia, and that they will likely fight against Ukraine “over the next several weeks.” The move could see the region burst into a much wider war, with troop casualties bringing a major political blow to the country’s 40-year-old ruler, Kim Jong Un.
North Korean troops are set to have all their deployment costs covered by Russia, including their wages, which is estimate to be least $2,000 per soldier. Around 90% to 95% of their stipends will likely go to Kim’s coffers, and the rest to the soldiers. This means one year of service in Russia would earn a North Korean soldier $1,200 to $2,400.
North Korea will meanwhile likley offer the troops several benefits, including elevated social standings, such as membership in the ruling Workers’ Party and the right to move to Pyongyang, the country’s showcase capital. “North Korean soldiers would see going to Russia as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Ahn Chan-il, a former North Korean army first lieutenant who is now head of the World Institute for North Korean Studies think tank in Seoul.
Kang Mi-Jin, a defector who runs a company analyzing North Korea’s economy, said even family members of troops sent to Russia could be granted benefits including nice houses or entrance to good universities.
Ahn and other observers say the eagerness of troops to participate, given these benefits, may change if they see colleagues dying in large numbers.
