The North Korean regime of dictator Kim Jong-un may have sent soldiers from its most secret and best unit to its Russian allies.
This was reported by URA-Inform, citing The Telegraph.
We are talking about the Special Operations Forces of the Korean People's Army (KPA SDF): according to some reports, Kim transferred at least 1,500 units of personnel from this group to his friend, the “President” of Russia Vladimir Putin, and they are made up of SDF representatives.
It is noted that the KPA Special Forces are used for reconnaissance and verification of the South Korean defense forces, and are one of the most elite and trained units of the North Korean army. They are equipped with modern military equipment – the kind that ordinary North Korean soldiers will never see. And according to open sources, the number of all special forces units in the DPRK army is from 88 to 122 thousand personnel (although this figure is most likely significantly exaggerated).
How dangerous can DPRK special forces be?
The KPA Special Operations Forces unites special forces units of all branches of the North Korean army and is divided into three groups – light infantry, reconnaissance and sniper units. According to known data, the KPA special forces unit is assigned five main tasks:
— conducting reconnaissance and sabotage operations;
— conducting operations in cooperation with regular armed forces;
— organizing a “second front” in the rear of the South Korean army;
— countering special operations of US and South Korean military intelligence in the rear areas of the DPRK;
— combating anti-government forces within the country and ensuring internal security – in other words, punitive operations.
American intelligence services noted that the main trump card of Kim Jong-un's special forces is excellent training for independent action in the deep and near rear. Their tactics are speed, pressure, surprise, insensitivity to losses based on genuine ideological fanaticism, almost religious.
However, despite all their training and motivation, in reality the KPA SOF have virtually no combat experience as such, since the situation in the demilitarized zone with South Korea and the front of the war between Ukraine and Russia are two very different things. And the glory of this special forces unit, which is portrayed as almost real “demons of war”, is greatly exaggerated. Especially if you know that most of the foreign military (and not only military) operations of the KPA SOF ended in spectacular failure. For example, during the attack on the Blue House, the residence of the President of South Korea in January 1968, almost the entire group of special forces was destroyed – out of 31 special forces, only two returned, and the attack on the residence was repelled by regular police forces. That same year, South Korea thwarted a KPA operation to deploy a guerrilla movement on its territory: out of 120 special forces, 113 were killed and seven were captured. There are no examples of more or less well-known and successful KPA SOF operations after 1992.
Recall that it was previously reported whether Putin is interested in peace talks with Ukraine: ISW conclusion.