‘North Korean commanders execute their subordinates,’ former Ukrainian Army colonel says

[INTERVIEW]

KYIV, Ukraine — North Korea effectively became a participant in the war in Ukraine last year by dispatching more than 10,000 troops to Russia. Though initially dismissed due to outdated equipment and poor training, the North Korean forces have visibly evolved through continued combat. This military transformation reflects a growing concern about the Korean Peninsula’s shifting security landscape.

Last Saturday, in Ukraine’s capital, the JoongAng Ilbo met with Dmytro Kim, a 46-year-old retired Ukrainian Army colonel who recently served on the front lines.

He lost vision in one eye during fierce fighting and was medically discharged. A fourth-generation ethnic Korean with a Ukrainian mother, Kim does not speak Korean and identifies fully as a Ukrainian, and a patriotic one at that.

Kim shared relatively detailed insights into how Ukrainian forces perceive and engage with North Korean troops. According to him, “In some cases, it appears that commanders execute their subordinates to prevent them from being taken prisoner.”

The following are edited excerpts from the interview.

Q. How does the Ukrainian military assess the North Korean troops?
A. They don’t have professional experience or technical skill, but they fight to the end to avoid being captured. They rely solely on mental strength. That said, their combat techniques have improved since they began learning how to use drones from the Russian military.

Is there a specific term used to refer to North Korean soldiers?
They’re called “people who eat dog meat.” There’s a bit of context behind it. We often curse the Russian troops as “dogs” who only act when ordered by their masters. Since the Russian and North Korean troops often clash with each other on the battlefield, the nickname stuck.

It’s been reported that North Korean soldiers prefer death over capture. Is that true?
We’ve come across what appeared to be scenes of group suicides, but investigations suggest these weren’t voluntary. It’s assumed that commanders, when cornered, kill their subordinates themselves and then commit suicide to prevent them all from becoming prisoners.

Do the Russian and North Korean forces share any behavioral traits?
They always try to take any Ukrainian firearms left on the ground. They seem to consider them trophies. Also, since they’re short on ammunition, they may be hoping to use Ukrainian weapons. But we often leave behind weapons booby-trapped with explosives. When Russian or North Korean soldiers pick them up and try to fire them, they explode.

Does the Ukrainian military ever use captured Russian or North Korean firearms? 
Only if the weapon is still strapped to a freshly killed enemy. Still, there were cases where Russian troops rigged spare magazines with bombs. We captured a weapon from an enemy we had just killed and swapped in a magazine, and it exploded. So we try not to use Russian weapons at all.

The tactical mind games on the battlefield seem intense. Is that right?
Yes, that’s hybrid warfare. Sometimes we scatter cheap mobile phones across the battlefield. Russian troops pick up the signals and think Ukrainian forces are concentrated there, so they bomb the area. It’s a way to waste their artillery.

How do North Korean troops respond to drones?
Russian soldiers know that running from drones only gets them killed faster. North Koreans don’t know this, so they run — and make themselves more visible. It’s better to stay quietly hidden in the forest instead. There are also nets used to catch drones, and Russians use those well. There are detection devices that identify the presence and type of nearby drones. Equipment like that should be used to evade drones.

What’s your evaluation of the tactics used by North Korean and Russian troops?
There’s a huge tactical difference from the Ukrainian military. North Korean and Russian troops strictly follow orders from their superiors. When problems arise, they can’t solve them on their own and have to report and get permission. So their movements are very slow. Ukrainian troops, on the other hand, prioritize on-the-ground decision-making, which makes them faster.

BY PARK HYEON-JUN [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]