While some North Korean troops dispatched to Russia gathered in Kursk Oblast, a battleground on the Russian mainland partially occupied by the Ukrainian military, Kim Young-bok, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army, a representative ‘special operations force’ within the North Korean military, reportedly entered Russia. Kim Young-bok is evaluated as a rising military leader, having accompanied Chairman Kim Jong-un’s military activities several times this year.
As North Korean troops have already entered Kursk, the possibility that they will soon be deployed into battle has increased. A government source said, “I understand that the North Korean advance team is made up of elite special forces units,” and added, “It is expected that they will first serve as rear support, such as building trenches, but the possibility that they will be deployed in various combat missions such as clearing and infiltration cannot be ruled out.”
● Kim Young-bok, former leader of the Storm CorpsThe New York Times (NYT) reported on the 25th, citing Ukrainian government officials and two U.S. officials, that thousands of North Korean soldiers began arriving in Kursk on the 23rd (local time). Our government source also did not deny the gathering of North Korean special forces in Kursk in a phone call with the Dong-A Ilbo on the 27th. According to the NYT, the first group of North Korean troops traveled 6,400 km to Kursk on the 23rd, and thousands more joined them later. A high-ranking Ukrainian official predicted that about 5,000 North Korean soldiers would gather by the 28th.
Japan’s Kyodo News reported on the 26th, citing a Ukrainian military source, that Kim Young-bok entered Russia as the general manager of the dispatched North Korean military unit. The name Kim Young-bok was at the top of the list of North Korean military contingent officers obtained by the Ukrainian authorities. Regarding this, a Korean government source said, “We understand that a person capable of leading thousands of special forces has arrived.”
Kim Young-bok is a person who served successively as the commander of the Storm Corps (11th Corps), an elite special forces unit being dispatched to Russia by North Korea, and the commander of the Special Operations Forces. Previously, it was confirmed that North Korea established a special operations force by expanding and reorganizing the existing 11th Corps in April 2017 at a military parade commemorating the 105th anniversary of the Day of the Sun, the birthday of President Kim Il-sung. The first commander at the time was Kim Young-bok. In particular, he attracted attention by being promoted two ranks from Major General (Brigadier General in our case) to his current rank of Sergeant (Lieutenant General in our case) just before his appointment as commander.
Later, in March of this year, Kim Young-bok was seen walking right next to Chairman Kim while he was visiting an undisclosed training base in the western region and receiving direct instructions. At this time, the fact that he was appointed as Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the General Staff Department was also made public. Kim Young-bok also accompanied Chairman Kim when he inspected the recovery site in the flood-damaged area in North Pyongan Province last month and when he inspected the Oh Jin-woo Artillery General Military Academy earlier this month.
● “They may be deployed for sniping, rear infiltration, facility destruction, etc.”
Kursk, located in southwestern Russia, is partially occupied by Ukrainian forces. A Korean government official said, “For Russia, it is currently a desperate situation to gain numerical superiority in Kursk.” If North Korean troops are deployed to Kursk, Russia may divert the Russian troops in Kursk to the eastern front in Russian-occupied Ukraine before winter sets in.
North Korea’s Storm Corps, which consists of 10 brigades including a light infantry brigade, a sniper brigade, and an aviation ground division, has the main mission of infiltrating and disrupting the Seoul metropolitan area and the rear in times of emergency, and carrying out operations to destroy major facilities. Accordingly, there are speculations both inside and outside the military that the Storm Corps dispatched this time may also be actively involved in infiltration missions behind the front lines, operations to retake Kursk Province, or engage in guerrilla warfare, which is their specialty. A military source said, “There is a possibility that they will team up with Russian special forces to carry out surprise missions such as sniping and rapid fire support on the front and rear of the Kursk front.”
On the other hand, there are observations that the North Korean military will not be easily deployed to the front line due to unverified combat capabilities and communication problems with the Russian military. In particular, Kursk is a large field with a lot of mud, so there are predictions that there will be large-scale casualties if the North Korean army rashly engages in combat. A military official said, “Ukraine is fully prepared for an engagement with North Korean troops,” and added, “Every inch of the Kursk battlefield could become a ‘graveyard’ for North Korean troops.”
Reporter Shin Jin-woo [email protected]
Reporter Shin Gyu-jin [email protected]
Military reporter Sang-ho Yoon [email protected]
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