What we know about North Korean troops in Ukraine [View all]

BBC News
November 18, 2024

When rumors first emerged in October that North Korean troops were about to start supporting Russia's war in Ukraine, it wasn't immediately clear what role they would be fulfilling.

Their lack of battlefield experience was given as a key reason why they might just be assigned to non-combat roles.

But after the U.S. and Ukraine revealed North Korea troops have already engaged in combat with Ukrainian soldiers, their role in the fight is being reevaluated.

[snip]

Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence services have said that many of the troops deployed to Russia are some of Pyongyang's best, drawn from the 11th Corps, also known as the Storm Corps -- a unit trained in infiltration, infrastructure sabotage and assassinations.

These soldiers are "trained to withstand a high degree of physical pain and psychological torture," says Michael Madden, a North Korea expert from the Stimson Center in Washington.

More:
https://bbc.com/news/articles/cm2796pdm1lo