What Haneul remembers most about his time within the North Korean navy is the gnawing, steady starvation. He misplaced 10kg in his first month of service, on account of a eating regimen of cracked corn and mouldy cabbage.
Three months into coaching, he says virtually his whole battalion was severely malnourished and wanted to be despatched to a restoration centre to realize weight.
When they have been later deployed as frontline guards to the border with South Korea, rice changed corn. But by the point it reached their bowls, a lot had been siphoned off by rear items, and the rest had been reduce with sand.
Haneul says his unit was among the many best-fed, a tactic to cease them defecting to South Korea. But it failed to forestall Haneul.
In 2012, he made a death-defying sprint throughout the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) – the strip of land dividing the North from the South.
His expertise and that of different navy defectors helps make clear the situation of 1000’s of North Korean troops deployed to the frontline in Russia’s conflict in opposition to Ukraine.
Pyongyang has reportedly despatched round 11,000 troops to assist Russian forces reclaim a part of its Kursk area taken by Ukraine in a shock summer time offensive.
Earlier this week, Seoul, Washington and Kyiv mentioned mentioned the troopers had now entered the battle “in important numbers”, and reported the primary casualties, with South Korean officers estimating greater than 100 had already been killed and extra injured. This determine has not been confirmed.
However, defectors and different navy specialists have instructed the BBC these troops shouldn’t be underestimated.
According to South Korean intelligence, most belong to the elite Storm Corps unit, and have “excessive morale”, however “lack an understanding of latest warfare”.
Only the taller, sportier males are chosen for the Storm Corps, says defector Lee Hyun Seung, who educated North Korea’s particular forces within the early 2000s earlier than defecting in 2014.
He taught them martial arts, the right way to throw knives and make weapons out of cutlery and different kitchen utensils.
But though the Storm Corps’ coaching is extra superior than that of standard North Korean items, the troopers are nonetheless underfed and even malnourished.
Online movies, reportedly of the troops in Russia, present youthful, “frail” troopers, Haneul says. They are a stark distinction to Pyongyang’s propaganda movies, the place males are seen bursting out of iron chains and smashing blocks of ice with their naked arms.
During his whole time within the military, Haneul says he fired solely three bullets in a single live-fire coaching session.
The closest he got here to fight was when a hungry farmer stumbled into the DMZ searching for greens. Haneul says he ignored directions to “shoot any intruders” and let the person go together with a warning.
It is tough to understand how a lot has modified within the decade since Haneul defected, given the shortage of data from North Korea. It seems that the nation’s chief Kim Jong Un has directed a lot of his restricted assets into missiles and nuclear weapons slightly than his standing military.
But based on one other soldier, Ryu Seonghyun, who defected in 2019, the primary three years within the navy are “extremely powerful”, even for the particular forces. The 28-year-old, who labored as a driver within the air pressure for seven years, says that in his service, situations deteriorated and rice steadily disappeared from meals.
“The troopers are despatched into the mountains for days with a small quantity of rice, and are instructed it’s a part of their survival coaching.”
Given these troops have been educated to battle within the mountainous Korean Peninsula, the defectors query how effectively they are going to adapt to combating on the flatlands and within the trenches of Kursk.
Crucially, the Storm Corps usually are not a frontline unit. “Their mission is to infiltrate enemy strains and create chaos deep inside enemy territory,” Ryu says.
But, he provides, Kim Jong Un has no various to sending particular forces, as common troopers spend most of their time farming, constructing or chopping wooden.
“Kim Jong Un needed to ship males who might reveal not less than a sure stage of fight capability, to keep away from damaging North Korea’s status in Russia.”
The language barrier appears to have created a further hurdle. On Sunday, Ukraine’s defence intelligence unit mentioned communication points had resulted in North Korean troopers by accident firing on a Russian battalion, killing eight.
With these assessments, it may very well be straightforward to dismiss the troops as “cannon fodder” and an indication of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desperation. But that may be a mistake, the defectors say. Their loyalty to the regime and combating spirit will rely for lots.
“Most of the troopers within the Storm Corps come from working-class or farming households, who’re extremely obedient to the occasion and can observe orders unquestionably,” says Haneul, whose father and cousin have been within the particular forces.
Intense, ideological “brainwashing” periods, held each morning, will additional guarantee they’re mentally prepared, Lee provides. He believes the North Korean troops “will turn into accustomed to the battlefield, learn to battle the enemy, and discover methods to outlive”.
Although the troopers is not going to have been given a selection over whether or not to be deployed, Ryu thinks many could have wished to go. The bold will see it as a possibility to advance their careers, he says.
And given how powerful it’s to serve in North Korea, some could have relished the prospect to expertise life overseas for the primary time.
“I believe they’re going to be extra keen to battle than Russian troops,” he provides, admitting that of their state of affairs, he too would have wished to be despatched.
Chun In-bum, a former commander of South Korea’s particular forces, agrees with the defectors’ value determinations. “Just as a result of they lack meals and coaching, doesn’t imply they’re incapable. They will acclimatise rapidly. We shouldn’t underestimate them.”
While 11,000 troops are unlikely to show the tide of such an attritional conflict – it’s estimated Russia is struggling greater than a thousand casualties a day – specialists and officers consider this may very well be simply the primary tranche, with Pyongyang probably capable of ship as much as 60,000 and even 100,000 if they’re rotated.
In these numbers, Mr Chun believes they may find yourself being efficient.
Also, Kim Jong Un will have the ability to shoulder huge losses with out affecting the steadiness of his regime, the previous troopers say.
“Those who’ve been despatched can be males with out affect or connections – to place it bluntly, those that may be sacrificed with out difficulty,” Haneul says.
He remembers being shocked to study there have been no youngsters of high-ranking dad and mom in his frontline unit: “That’s after I realised we have been expendable.”
He doesn’t count on a lot resistance from the households of the deceased, whose sons, he says, can be honoured as heroes.
“There are numerous dad and mom who’ve misplaced a toddler after sending them to the navy,” he provides, recalling his second cousin who died. His aunt obtained a certificates, praising her son for his heroic contribution.
The loyalty of the troopers and their households might blunt Ukrainian and South Korean hopes that many will merely defect as soon as they enter the battle. Kyiv and Seoul have mentioned conducting psychological operations alongside the frontline to encourage the boys to give up.
But it appears they don’t have entry to cell phones. According to Ukrainian intelligence, even Russian troopers’ telephones are seized earlier than they encounter North Korean troops.
So, potential infiltration methods embrace broadcasting messages by way of loudspeakers or utilizing drones to drop leaflets.
Both Ryu and Haneul determined to defect after studying anti-regime propaganda despatched throughout the border from South Korea. But they’re uncertain this might work so removed from house.
They say it takes a very long time to construct up the need and braveness to defect.
Furthermore, Haneul suspects the officers could have been ordered to shoot anybody who makes an attempt to flee. He remembers his comrades opening hearth as he made his daring dash throughout the DMZ.
“Twelve bullets flew only a metre over my head,” he says.
Even capturing the North Korean troops might show difficult for Ukraine.
In the North, being a prisoner of conflict is taken into account extraordinarily shameful and worse than dying. Instead, troopers are taught to take their very own lives, by capturing themselves or detonating a grenade.
Ryu recollects a well-known navy tune entitled Save the Last Bullet. “They let you know to save lots of two bullets, one to shoot the enemy and one to shoot your self.”
Nevertheless, the previous particular forces coach Lee is decided to assist. He has provided to go to the frontline to speak straight with the troopers.
“It’s unlikely they are going to defect in massive numbers, however we now have to attempt. Hearing acquainted voices like mine, and others from North Korea, would possibly influence their psychology,” he says.
Haneul simply hopes they get house to North Korea. He is aware of there’s a likelihood a few of his relations are among the many troops despatched to assist Russia.
“I simply hope they make it by way of and return safely.”
Additional reporting by Jake Kwon and Hosu Lee
