Teenagers and young people: intelligence tells details about dPRK troops in russia
29 October 2024 20:30
On October 29, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said it had received intelligence on the movement of North Korean troops sent to Russia, including Deputy Chief of Staff Kim Yong Bok of the DPRK Army General Staff Department, toward the front line in Ukraine. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to a published South Korean intelligence report.
“We have intelligence that an advanced detachment, which includes Kim Yong Bok, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army, is moving towards the front line, and we confirm this,” the report says.
The National Intelligence Service added that this may indicate preparations to deploy North Korean troops to the Russian city of Kursk.
However, the intelligence service was cautious and clarified that it is difficult to say exactly which part of the “Assault Corps” (North Korea’s 11th Army) was deployed at the front, and that it is too early to say that the vanguard is a full-fledged army.
According to South Korea’s intelligence service, North Korean troops in Russia are mostly young people under the age of 20. Some of them are even teenagers. However, this does not mean that the Ukrainian military should underestimate them.
“Their combat capabilities should not be underestimated, as they have already undergone basic combat training as an assault corps. The combat capabilities of soldiers who have not faced the peculiarities of modern warfare, such as the Russian-Ukrainian war, may be unknown,” the intelligence officers clarify.
Answering the question whether South Korea will send observers or journalists to Ukraine, a representative of the National Intelligence Service said they have no position on this issue.
“This is the first time that the North Korean military has been deployed abroad to conduct combat operations, and it is a great opportunity for us to understand their capabilities. We will consider all measures necessary to ensure national security and consult with the Ukrainian side,” the intelligence agency said.
