South Korea tells North Korea that its troops are in Russia on loudspeaker broadcast

South Korea confirmed North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia on loudspeaker broadcasts.

Dozens of North Korean soldiers are deployed to the front lines on June 18 in this photo provided by the Joint Press Corps. [NEWS1]

South Korea’s military used loudspeaker broadcasts to inform North Korean citizens and soldiers of the covert deployment of North Korean troops to Russia, despite Pyongyang having concealed the deployment from its own citizens, Seoul's military sources said Monday.

Military sources in Seoul told the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, that South Korea's “Voice of Freedom” radio broadcasts, directed at North Korea, had confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in Ukraine's war against Russia, citing Ukrainian media reports and a statement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Monday morning.

The broadcast further revealed that six North Korean soldiers had been killed in an airstrike on the Russian front line of the occupied Donetsk region earlier this month and that Russia is forming a special battalion consisting of 3,000 North Korean troops. Additionally, there were reports of 18 North Korean soldiers deserting.

It also cited a BBC report indicating that a number of North Korean soldiers had arrived at a Russian military base near Ussuriysk, which is north of Vladivostok. South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies confirmed that North Korea has been providing ongoing military support to Russia since a June summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Intelligence reports indicate frequent movement of personnel and supplies between North Korea and Russia via rail. The agencies are currently investigating whether a large contingent of North Korean combat troops is part of these movements.

The South Korean military's psychological warfare tactics aim to undermine the morale of North Korean soldiers stationed near the military demarcation line (MDL).

Analysts suggest that the primary target audience for these broadcasts is North Korean soldiers, particularly those who might be deployed to Ukraine's war against Russia. Many of these soldiers are currently stationed along its front lines, carrying out fortification work on Kim’s orders.

A photo of a North Korean soldier participating in Ukraine's war against Russia captured by the National Intelligence Service (NIS). The NIS stated that after applying its AI facial recognition technology, it had identified person in the photo as a North Korean missile technician who had accompanied leader Kim Jong-un on a visit to a tactical missile factory in August 2023. [NIS]

The unit that North Korea reportedly deployed to Russia is the so-called 11th Corps, or the “Storm Corps.”

The 11th Corps appeared in North Korea’s previous war scenario, where it was depicted as a key force infiltrating enemy territory in the early stages of a conflict. In these scenarios, the unit’s main objective was to take large numbers of Americans residing in South Korea hostage.

North Korean propaganda outlet Uriminzokkiri published a three-day attack scenario on March 22, 2013, which detailed the 11th Corps' mission. On the first day, North Korean forces would launch a massive barrage, named “fire-thrashing,” and deploy light infantry units to attack key military facilities and infrastructure in South Korea. The 11th Corps would then infiltrate and capture as many of the “150,000 Americans” living in South Korea. Around 28,000 Americans had been residing in South Korea for more than three months as of 2013, according to Statistics Korea.

The role of the Storm Corps to carry out tactics similar to those used by Hamas during its attacks on Israel in October last October, during which militants quickly infiltrated enemy territory to take high-value hostages for use in future negotiations.

BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO, YOO JEE-HYE [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]