Around 10,000 North Korean soldiers are being sent to Russia and can be deployed in combat against Ukraine, according to information from, among others, the USA and South Korea. Around 1,500 of them are said to belong to special forces, but what type of soldiers the rest are has not been disclosed.
Are they surveillance soldiers? Are they support troops? Are they construction workers? We don't know, says Niklas Swanström at the think tank Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP).
He assumes that those being sent to Russia are among the best North Korea has to offer. Of the country's approximately 26 million inhabitants, over one million are soldiers.
When I talk to those who claim to know, they say that these special forces are really 'top of the line'. If you deploy soldiers in conflict, I believe they are good soldiers.
Want to Train Cooperation
At least some of the North Koreans will be deployed at the front, estimates Niklas Swanström. Mainly because North Korea wants to practice warfare and train in cooperation with Russia in preparation for other possible conflicts. The soldiers are now learning a hundred military expressions in Russian, such as "artillery fire", reports CNN.
The North Koreans are expected to be sent to the Russian region of Kursk, where Russia claims to be defending itself against a Ukrainian invasion.
It's also the kind of claims they use in Pyongyang, that it's the Western world that has invaded Russia and that North Korea is defending Russia, says Niklas Swanström.
"A Threat to All"
In exchange for the soldiers, North Korea can gain access to, among other things, technology and deliveries of oil, gas, and food.
But what we should be worried about is perhaps submarine technology, radar technology, missile technology. Russia has cutting-edge technology and could quickly improve North Korean technology, and that's a threat to everyone, says Niklas Swanström.
That's why South Korea is reacting strongly, where this relationship is seen as a threat to the country's security, says Niklas Swanström.
The conflict is also becoming more internationalized as North Korea contributes soldiers, which raises questions about how the world should react to the development.
Should we send defense troops? Should we increase the amount of military capabilities, i.e. aircraft? Or should we just take a deep breath and do nothing?
North Korea is the most militarized country in the world in relation to population. Approximately one-quarter of the gross national product (GNP) goes to military expenditures.
In the country, which has over 26 million inhabitants, there are over one million soldiers, according to The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). In addition, there are several million reservists.
In the army, conscription can last up to twelve years, in the navy up to ten years.
It is unknown how many nuclear weapons North Korea possesses. Estimates range from 15 to 60.
Source: Landguiden/UI
