Ex-Soldier Defector from North Korea: "Soldiers Sent to Russia Have a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity for Social Advancement"

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A defector from North Korea with a military background analyzed in an interview with foreign media that North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia willingly volunteer for deployment due to indoctrinated loyalty to the regime, a desire to escape hunger, and longing for the outside world.

According to the U.S. daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 10th (local time), several defectors with military backgrounds and North Korean military experts pointed out that the loyalty and determination of North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia suggest that they may mean more than just mercenaries or cannon fodder on the battlefield.

Yu Seong-hyun (28), a defector who left North Korea in 2019 and has a military background, said in an interview with WSJ that if he had received an order to deploy to Russia while serving, he would have been grateful and followed the order.

He said that, like many North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia this time, he also suffered from labor at construction sites without proper meals during his time in the North Korean military.

Furthermore, for those who have been indoctrinated with lifelong loyalty to North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and the regime, deployment to Russia was likely seen as a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' that could bring money and glory to the Kim Jong-un regime.

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In particular, former U.S. special forces officer David Maxwell pointed out that the soldiers of the 11th Corps, known as the 'Storm Corps,' a North Korean special forces unit reportedly deployed to Russia this time, although they may not match the combat power of U.S. or European special forces, are highly trained soldiers in terms of loyalty to the regime and willingness to take risks.

Lee Hyun-seung (39), a defector from the Storm Corps, told WSJ that in the past, he received daily ideological education to strengthen his will to die for Chairman Kim Jong-un in North Korea, and that the North Korean soldiers deployed this time surely received similar education.

From the perspective of North Korean soldiers who witnessed the tremendous social advancement of soldiers and their families who participated in the Vietnam War in the past, the current deployment to Russia could be seen as a similar opportunity, said Shim Ju-il (74), a former North Korean officer who defected in 1998, to WSJ.

He said that air force pilots who returned alive from the Vietnam War were all treated as heroes and promoted to high-ranking officers, and the wives of fallen pilots also rose to high positions within the Workers' Party, experiencing social advancement.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities announced on the 5th that a small-scale battle occurred between North Korean soldiers and Ukrainian forces on the fiercely contested Russian Kursk front. However, the South Korean government stated that the initial North Korean troops arriving in Russia have not yet participated in full-scale combat, while U.S. authorities expect North Korean soldiers to engage in combat within a few days.

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