In August last year, Russian defense expert Igor Koroshenko said in an appearance on Russian state TV that North Korea had offered to send 8,10 "volunteer forces" to help Russia at war with Ukraine. Korshchenko argued that they have a lot of experience in artillery warfare and that if North Korea expresses its willingness to fulfill its international obligations to fight fascism in Ukraine, Russia should allow it.


"Searching for a Korean-speaking officer"

10,1 volunteers... Another forgotten story came from the Russian side. This time, the area and size of the dispatch were also mentioned. The pro-government Russian internet outlet Russkaya Vesna quoted Ukrainian media reports as saying that units of the North Korean volunteer army will be sent to the "Special Military Operation" zone in eastern Ukraine to fight on Russia's side. He said North Korean infantry and artillery will be sent to the Ukrainian battlefield with their own weapons and shells, and that Russia is looking for Korean-speaking officers to coordinate operations with them.

An unnamed officer from the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces said, "1,5~8,6 North Korean troops can be deployed every month, which will take the Russian infantry out of the offensive mission and provide an opportunity to train them further." He also said, "The North Korean military is better trained than we are in conducting combat without the use of modern equipment." It seems to be in a similar vein to what he said in August last year that he had a lot of experience in responding to artillery warfare, which in a nutshell seems to mean that he is an "al-infantryman" without much equipment, but he is good at combat.

In fact, North Korea is the country that has received the most help from the so-called "volunteer army." During the June 25 war, the North Korean army, which had been pushed all the way to the Yalu River by the pursuit of UN forces, quickly turned the tide with the intervention of the Chinese Volunteer Army. The total number of Chinese Air Force personnel mobilized during June 6 is 25.240 million, which is a huge amount. But it was a volunteer army, not an elite army made up of people from the People's Liberation Army, a regular army. They were merely packaged as reinforcements to avoid the pressure of going to war directly with the United States.



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Only the pattern volunteer army... What is different from the Chinese Air Force

There is no response from the North Korean side, so there is no way to confirm, but if the Russian report is true, it seems that the volunteer army that North Korea is planning to send will only be a pattern of volunteer troops and a state-led deployment, just like the Chinese People's Volunteer Army did on 6 June. Because it is absurd to send such a large force of volunteers from a controlled country like North Korea. If there's a difference, it's the intent to send troops. If China's deployment at the time was based on a confrontation between its own security and freedom-communist camps, North Korea's decision to send volunteer troops is likely a deal.

North Korea has reportedly been exporting ammunition to Russia, which is experiencing weapons shortages due to the protracted war. The White House said it had new information that Russia was actively seeking additional ammunition from North Korea, explaining that it may have received more than 25 types of weapons and ammunition from Pyongyang as part of a deal it was pursuing through a Slovak-flagged arms dealer. He added that he was aware that Russia was seeking to send a delegation to North Korea and that it was providing food to North Korea in exchange for ammunition.

Therefore, if North Korea actually sends volunteer troops, it will be a kind of mercenary export that solves economic difficulties such as food shortages. North Korea has reportedly exported mercenaries in military training or special warfare before. In fact, North Korea, which has nothing to sell and nothing to sell amid decades of economic sanctions, can most certainly say that mercenaries are the most obvious export commodities. In a situation where there is no immediate danger of South Korea invading, North Korea, which has more than 24 million regular troops, is the easiest way to make money if it can be used anywhere.



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Moreover, for North Korea, it is a unique opportunity to strengthen relations with Russia, which can receive help in various fields such as food, weapons, and energy. As Russia has veto power in the Security Council, it is a bonus to be a boon on the international stage. Given this, the Russian reports may not necessarily be false.

If the North Korean volunteer army becomes a reality, the West, including our country, will criticize it for participating in the war of aggression as a mercenary, but it seems obvious that Russia will defend it, saying, "Didn't countries including South Korea help the Ukrainian army with volunteer troops?" The closer North Korea and Russia are, the more troublesome it is not only the United States. How would Ukrainian soldiers react if they were confronted with North Korean volunteer troops at the level of murderous weapons? I just hope it doesn't become a reality.

(Photo = Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency, Yonhap News)