The North Korean troops sent to Russia may be happy about their presence there, even if they face intense fighting

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The thousands of boys Soldiers that North Korea sent to RussiaThe soldiers reportedly set to help in the fight against Ukraine are largely elite special forces, but that hasn't stopped speculation that they are being slaughtered because they have no combat experience, unfamiliarity with the terrain and probably be dispatched to the wildest troops Battlefields.

That may be true, and soon. Observers say the troops have already arrived at the front. From a North Korean perspective, however, these soldiers may not be as miserable as outsiders think. In fact, they may view their trip to Russia with pride and as a rare chance to make good money, see a foreign country for the first time and seek preferential treatment for their families back home, according to former North Korean soldiers.

“They are too young and don’t understand exactly what it means. They will simply consider it an honor to be selected among the many North Korean soldiers as the ones going to Russia,” said Lee Woong-gil, a former member of the same special forces unit, Storm Corps. He came to South Korea in 2007. “But I think most of them probably won’t return home alive.”

worry about Likely North Korean involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war were highlighted this week when the Pentagon said North Korea had sent about 10,000 troops to Russia and they would likely fight Ukraine “in the next few weeks.” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday that some North Korean military units were already in the Russian border region of Kursk, where Russia is fighting a Ukrainian invasion.

North Korea's troop buildup could mean a serious escalation of the almost three-year war. It surprised many outside observers because North Korea has its own security problems and a simmering standoff with the United States and South Korea is over its nuclear program.

Large losses of North Korean troops would be a major political blow to the country's 40-year-old ruler, Kim Jong Un. But experts say Kim may see this as a way to get much-needed foreign currency and security support from Russia in return for joining Russia's war against Ukraine.

“Kim Jong Un is taking a big risk. Unless there are large casualties, he will get what he wants to some extent. But things will change a lot if many of its soldiers die in battle,” said Ahn Chan-il, a former first lieutenant in the North Korean army and now head of the World Institute for North Korean Studies think tank in Seoul.

The Assault Corps, also known as the 11th Corps, is one of Kim's top units. Its main tasks would be to infiltrate agents into South Korea, blow up important facilities in the South and assassinate important figures in the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula.

Lee, who served in the Storm Corps from 1998 to 2003, recalled that his unit received better food and supplies than other units, but many members still suffered from malnutrition and tuberculosis.

Despite a gradual economic recovery Defectors say that in North Korea over the past 30 years, the average monthly wage for ordinary North Korean workers and soldiers has been less than $1. They say many people engage in capitalist market activities to make a living because the country's state rationing system remains largely broken.

Russia is expected to cover all costs associated with deploying North Korean troops, including wages, which observers estimate are at least $2,000 per month per person. About 90 to 95 percent of her scholarships will likely go to Kim's coffers, with the rest going to the soldiers. That means a year of service in Russia would earn a North Korean soldier $1,200 to $2,400. That's big enough to prompt many young soldiers to volunteer for risky tours of Russia, former soldiers say.

Ahn said North Korea would likely offer other incentives aimed at improving soldiers' social status, such as membership in the ruling Workers' Party and the right to move to Pyongyang, the country's flagship capital. Kang Mi-Jin, a defector who runs a company that analyzes North Korea's economy, said even family members of soldiers sent to Russia could receive benefits such as good houses or access to good universities.

Choi Jung-hoon, a former first lieutenant in the North Korean army, said serving on foreign soil will attract many soldiers eager to see other countries for the first time.

North Koreans are banned from accessing foreign news and require government permission to move from one province to another within the country. North Korean construction, logging and other workers sent abroad to import foreign currency were often drafted “slaves” by international human rights groups. But defectors testify that such jobs abroad are often better than staying in North Korea, and many used bribery and family connections to get them.

“North Korean soldiers would view a trip to Russia as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Ahn said.

Ahn and other observers say those views could change as soldiers watch their colleagues die in large numbers. They say many North Korean soldiers may surrender to Ukrainian forces and ask to do so Resettlement to South Korea.

North Korean soldiers were trained in the mountainous terrain of the Korean Peninsula and are unfamiliar with the largely flat battlefields of the Russo-Ukrainian War. They also don't understand modern warfare, including drone use, because North Korea hasn't fought a major battle since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, experts say.

“My heart hurt,” said Choi, now the leader of an activist group in Seoul, when he saw one Ukraine video It allegedly depicts undersized North Korean soldiers, believed to be in their late teens or early 20s.

“No one would think that he would go to Russia to die,” Choi said. “But I think they are cannon fodder because they are sent to the most dangerous places and are sure to be killed.”

Leader Kim Jong Un may also hope that his troop offer will persuade Russia to provide sophisticated and highly sensitive technology he needs to perfect his forces nuclear capable missiles. This transfer could depend on how long the war lasts and how many troops Kim still sends.

Nam Sung-wook, a former director of a South Korean spy agency think tank, said North Korea is likely to receive hundreds of millions of dollars because of soldiers' wages. Soldiers will gain first-hand experience of modern warfare but will likely die in large numbers, and Russia will be reluctant to give up its high-tech missile technology, he said.

“North Korea will continue to hide its troop deployments from its own people because the public will be upset when they learn that their soldiers are being sent abroad to be killed,” said Nam, now a professor at Korea University in South Korea is.