North Korean troops have arrived in Russia to fight Ukraine, says Seoul

[yaesu]

Source: Guardian

South Korea’s intelligence agency said on Friday that North Korea has dispatched troops to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine, a development that could intensify the standoff between North Korea and the west.

In a statement on its website, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that Russian navy ships transferred 1,500 North Korean special operation forces to the port city of Vladivostok between 8 and 13 October and were now undergoing training.

“The North Korean soldiers … are expected to be deployed to the frontlines as soon as they complete their adaptation training,” the agency said, adding that more North Korean troops are expected to be sent to Russia soon.

NIS said North Korean soldiers were given Russian military uniforms and Russian-made weapons and were issued with fake ID cards of residents of the Yakutia and Buryatia, two regions in Siberia.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/18/north-korean-troops-russia-arrived-ukraine-seoul

[SarcasticSatyr]

1. Large numbers of North Korean troops surrendering in order to defect in 3 .. 2 .. 1

. . . . .

[Bev54]

2. They have already been on the front and they are disappearing (18 in one go - likely defecting to Ukraine)

and those who don't run will just become cannon fodder.

[forgotmylogin]

18. This seems like an opportunity for North Koreans...

...to defect and vanish into Ukraine if they work it correctly. Deploy, put up the white flag and let Ukranians hide them until they are considered MIA. Assume a new identity.

[Bev54]

19. I am quite sure Ukraine will cooperate and send them on to where they want to go.

[live love laugh]

3. Disgusting. Trump's hand is in this. Traitorous mutherfucker.

[maxsolomon]

6. How do you figure?

I think that Putin and Kim could coordinate this without Trump.

[live love laugh]

11. I figure that because Trump is partially responsible for Russia attacking in the first place.

[Polybius]

29. How do you figure that?

The attack happened well after he was out of office.

[live love laugh]

30. Because of the intelligence he stole, because 200 American spies were killed

while he was in office seriously undermining national and international security because he shared their locations. Because he will use anything for personal gain and when Zelenskyy didn’t cooperate by lying to get him elected it’s not a far reach to believe that he shared intelligence with Russia. There’s a reason security clearance is required. Even today he doesn’t qualify for clearance and continues to be a threat and a risk. He’s repeatedly said there will be WW III. He will be one of the main reasons whether he is elected or not.

[C0RI0LANUS]

4. Seoul can help Kiev a little bit with this

Although these DPRK soldiers are SOF and supposedly more disciplined and trained than regular grunts, Kiev can ask ROK for linguistics help for a PSYOP campaign with loudspeakers and leaflets on how to surrender and get something to eat.

And a quick demoralizer for these DPRK SOF soldiers would be an inaugural greeting from a HIMARS system. I would make that a targeting priority.

[Gore1FL]

5. Not that Russia is a good destination, but it's a steep up from N. Korea. I would take my fake ID card and desert. nt

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. Close to 11,000 North Korean troops are in Russia and will be "ready to fight" in Ukraine by Nov. 1,

Russia is running out of its own troops and has to use North Korean troops

Link to tweet

Close to 11,000 North Korean troops are in Russia and will be "ready to fight" in Ukraine by Nov. 1, military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov said in comments published by the War Zone on Oct. 17.

Budanov said the first group of 2,600 soldiers will be deployed to Russia's Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine began a cross-border incursion in August and still holds significant swathes of territory. The troops will be using Russian equipment and ammunition, but further information is currently unknown.....

Speaking at a press conference in Brussels on Oct. 17, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is planning to train and engage not only infantry but also North Korean specialists in various branches of the military.

"We know about 10,000 soldiers from North Korea they are preparing to send to fight against us," he added.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. Russian is losing so many troops that it has to get troops from North Korea

Link to tweet

[2naSalit]

9. Those who are...

Attempting to surrender or desert are being killed by ruzzians/chechens who are there to make sure they fight or die.

[LudwigPastorius]

10. "North Korean soldiers were given Russian military uniforms and Russian-made weapons and were issued with fake IDs..."

Good.

Ukrainian forces can kill Fat Kim's fake Russians all day without him using it as an excuse to declare war on the West.

[TomSlick]

12. IF North Korean soldiers are actually deployed to Ukraine and don't immediately defect,

the west should respond with sending troops to counter. A good start would be to provide the same air defense equipment and personnel being sent to Israel.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

13. Actually, S. Korea should deploy their SOF to Ukraine to counter the Norks.

I well remember my interaction with S. Korean forces in Vietnam and they were fearsome fighters, they scared the VC and NVA so badly that there were bounties on every S. Korean soldier killed.

[TomSlick]

14. That seems unlikely.

South Korea is facing an increasingly bellicose enemy. It needs to maintain its best defensive posture.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

15. Well, it was just a thought.

In a war between the Norks and S. Korean/US, the country of N. Korea would disappear, leaving China with a huge problem dealing with the displaced N. Korean population left destitute with their defeat.
The US and NATO should, upon confirmation of Norks involved in combat, declare a CAP and start interdicting any Russian/N. Korean forces in Ukraine.

[TomSlick]

26. I agree that S. Korea would obliterate N. Korea.

However, most of the S. Korean population is within tube artillery range. The casualties would be catastrophic.

The concern is that mutually assured destruction only works as a deterrence if there are sane leaders on both sides. Kim is nuts (or trying hard to so appear) and there is no one in N. Korean leadership that would stand up to him.

All S. Korea can do is to maintain the best deterrence it can muster.

[C0RI0LANUS]

16. ROKMC in Vietnam (circa mid-1960s)

(Undated photo)

[MarineCombatEngineer]

17. Yep, that's what I remember with our interactions with ROK forces in Vietnam. nt

[C0RI0LANUS]

20. Recognize anybody, Gunner?

[MarineCombatEngineer]

21. Not really, it was 50+ years ago and my memory isn't what it used to be.

And I think you meant Gunny.

[C0RI0LANUS]

22. I thought four chevrons was "Gunner" (USMC weapons specialist). My mistake.

I was US Army, so I recognize USA and USAF ranks EZ. Some of the USN and USMC ranks/insignias seem different to me. Your avatar looks like four chevrons.

The scrambled eggs on the old saucer caps were all alike though (field grade officer and above).

[MarineCombatEngineer]

23. I retired as a Master Gunnery Sargeant, we were referred to as "Gunny"

It does get confusing within the different branches, case in point, in the Army and Marines, our job descriptions are referred to as MOS, Military Occupational Specialty, while in the Navy it's Rating, Air Force, I have no idea.

[C0RI0LANUS]

24. Congrats on retiring an E-8 or E-9. Yup, a bit confusing for me.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

25. I actually retired as an E-9.

And I'm still confused by the different job descriptions in the different branches.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

27. USAF is AFSC- Air Force Specialty Code.

[C0RI0LANUS]

28. Arigato!