North Korea’s involvement in the Ukrainian conflict has recently been revealed with reports of around 12,000 North Koreans fighting in the Kursk region of Russia. And according to Western military analysts, these soldiers appear particularly vulnerable to drone attacks, which is where many of their losses are due.
However, this assessment contradicts Ukrainian testimonies from the battlefield, where, for example, a Ukrainian Special Forces soldier revealed to the Kyiv Independent that the North Koreans are very well protected by Russian electronic warfare systems, which effectively deal with drone attacks. These contradictory reports also highlight the lack of transparency of information from the operations in Kursk, where these third-country regular troops have also been involved.
A senior Ukrainian official said that the typical tactic is for a North Korean platoon to accompany a larger Russian paratrooper group and jointly attack Ukrainian positions.
In exchange for transporting the troops, Russia pays the Pyongyang regime more than $2,000 for each soldier, although it is not clear how much of this goes to the North Korean regime and how much remains with the North Korean regime. Russia also offers North Korea modern technologies in exchange for the production and development of various weapons systems, while the Pyongyang regime has begun to improve its ballistic weapons, observing Russian practices and combat experiences. And Moscow is already using North Korean missiles in Ukraine.
These estimates come a few days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on December 14 that Russia had begun deploying “significant numbers” of North Korean troops to Kursk, where Russia has launched multiple waves of counterattacks since September to regain its territory.
Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reported fighting between Ukrainians and Pyongyang troops, particularly the 94th Brigade of the North Korean Army, in the southernmost parts of Ukrainian-controlled territory, and within a few kilometers of the border. While a South Korean lawmaker told media outlets on December 19 that at least 100 North Korean soldiers had been killed and another 1,200 wounded due to a lack of experience in the field and in drone warfare, the Associated Press on December 17 quoted a U.S. military source as saying hundreds of North Koreans had been killed.
Are the North Koreans vulnerable to modern warfare?
Ignorance of Ukrainian drones is “a new challenge” for the North Koreans, according to HUR. The same source said that Russia has installed additional jammers to protect them. And as we mentioned at the beginning, this is confirmed by a soldier of a Ukrainian special forces group: “From day one, electronic defense for drones works quite well in the places where the North Koreans have settled, which also prevents effective reconnaissance.”
He added that the North Korean soldiers occupy only a narrow section of the front, but they outnumber the Ukrainian troops on the other side. Their good tactical training and physical condition allow them to move effectively in open terrain. There is also a possible Russian order not to leave the bodies of their colleagues behind, which is confirmed by the speed with which they are removed from the field, compared to those of the Russian soldiers.
In videos released since mid-December, soldiers from the Russian side appear to be Korean. Identification is difficult, but according to Pasi Paroinen of the Finnish open-source analysis group Black Bird Group, they act in a manner that would be expected of North Korean infantry. They are very well dispersed in the field, reducing the likelihood of casualties from enemy fire, while moving as an organized unit in larger numbers than is usually seen in Ukrainian or Russian troops.
For his part, John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia program at the American think tank, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that exposing North Korean troops to modern warfare, including drones, is part of Pyongyang’s goal to improve the training of its armed forces. He added that it is important to watch whether this presence in Kursk is the beginning of the end of their deployment or a prelude to a larger and more steady flow of troops. Here, a Ukrainian intelligence source said there is no indication that Russia will deploy massive North Korean troops inside Ukraine in the near future, as Moscow is focused on retaking the entire Kursk region.
However, Pasi Paroinen pointed out that the North Koreans’ performance could determine the outcome of the fighting in the region, especially after the failed Russian offensives in November. “They are changing the game, now that they are using different tactics than the Ukrainians are used to and they also have numerical superiority,” he estimated that in December Ukraine still controlled less than 500 square kilometers in Kursk.
Overall, the Ukrainian “edge” in the Kursk region is facing serious difficulties, as it has been gradually losing ground since last September. According to an official from the Ukrainian General Staff who spoke to Reuters in November, his country has already lost more than 40% of the territory it had occupied there and is now facing a combined attack by Russian and “Asian” units.
