North Korea sending young conscripts to Ukraine as cannon fodder, says South

Most of the North Korean troops deployed to the Russia-Ukraine war are inexperienced conscripts in their teens and early twenties, according to South Korean military authorities Thursday.

Astra, an outlet claiming to be independent Russian media, posted footage on its Telegram channel on Tuesday showing what appear to be North Korean soldiers standing outside a building. Astra claimed the video captures the arrival of North Korean soldiers at a military base, believed to be Unit 44980 of the 127th Motor Rifle Division in Sergievsky in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Most of the North Korean troops deployed to the Russia-Ukraine war are inexperienced conscripts in their teens and early twenties, according to South Korean military authorities Thursday.

Experts suggest that this move is part of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's strategy to minimize losses of seasoned soldiers while gaining political and military advantages.

Multiple military sources told the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, that South Korea’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) prepared an interim report based on intelligence reports and video analysis.

"The majority of the troops deployed to Russia are young recruits who have only been in the military for a short time," a military source said. "We believe there are few experienced veterans among them."

Given that North Korea’s military conscription begins at age 17, many of these troops may include those in their late teens to early 20s born between 2005 and 2007, according to the DIA.

South Korea and the United States estimate that around 3,000 North Korean soldiers have already moved to Russia. The South Korean National Intelligence Service expects the total to rise to 10,000 by the end of the year.

Regarding comments that the North Korean soldiers seen in recent footage appear young and physically small, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun told lawmakers at a National Assembly hearing on Thursday that although the South Korean government has said these troops are part of an elite unit known as the "Storm Corps," that are "limits to verifying whether they are actually elite forces or merely ordinary soldiers wearing different uniforms."

Military officials believe North Korea's decision to send inexperienced soldiers may be an attempt to minimize losses to North Korea’s core military force while still gaining benefits from Russia as the two nations strengthen military cooperation.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) estimates that North Korea is receiving approximately $2,000 per month for each soldier sent to Russia. In addition to financial compensation, there is speculation that North Korea may receive technology for satellites, nuclear submarines or advanced weapons in exchange for its support.

Oh Gyeong-seob, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, suggested that recently conscripted soldiers are "easier to control" and "less likely to desert," which may explain why they were chosen for deployment.

North Korean soldiers, believed to be receiving supplies in Primorsky Krai, Russia, as seen in an image posted on X, formerly Twitter. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Concerns are growing that Russia plans to use these North Korean troops as cannon fodder. According to the UK Ministry of Defense, Russian forces suffered an average of 1,271 casualties per day last month, the highest rate since the war began. This spike in casualties is attributed to intensified fighting in eastern Ukraine and Russia's Kursk region.

South Korean officials believe that the first wave of North Korean troops could be deployed to these high-casualty fronts. A recent report from The New York Times described Russia’s military strategy as pushing soldiers into a "meat grinder," raising speculation that North Korean troops could face the same fate.

Defense Minister Kim echoed the report, stating that the North Korean soldiers in Russia are "nothing more than mercenaries serving as cannon fodder." He criticized Kim Jong-un for "selling out his military to participate in an illegal invasion."

"This is not a deployment; it's more accurate to call them mercenaries," Kim added.

A senior official from the presidential office said on condition of anonymity Tuesday that the South Korean government will use "every possible means" to inform North Korean citizens about how their leadership is exploiting them.

BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO, LEE YOO-JUNG, LEE KEUN-PYUNG [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]