SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s spy agency confirmed Wednesday that North Korean troops are operating alongside crack Russian units in Kursk while heavy artillery is being sent to the battlefield to push back a Ukrainian invasion force.
On Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un demanded mass production of suicide drones, which have been used to terrifying effect in the Ukraine clash.
Russian and Ukrainian forces have struggled to develop a counter to the new cost-effective class of weapons, and neither side has an air defense network capable of preventing longer-range drone intrusions.
The innovations in the war in the heart of Europe will soon be felt on the divided Korean Peninsula as the U.S. and South Korea confront what could be an even more formidable enemy in Pyongyang.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, complement North Korea’s asymmetrical approach to conflict and offer the Kim regime a cheap, low-tech weapon to counter the high-tech militaries of the far wealthier South Korea and the United States. Mr. Kim is betting that the combination of fighting skills gained in Russia and the new arms will elevate the North Korean army, which has not fought a major war since 1953.
“The Workers’ Party of Korea has recently attached importance to the line of perfectly combining unmanned military hardware systems with operational plans,” Mr. Kim said during a visit to a North Korean drone factory last week.
Upgrades
The South Korean National Intelligence Service briefed lawmakers Wednesday on North Korea’s latest moves in Ukraine, the regime’s first large-scale overseas deployment of military forces. Seoul intelligence analysts said an estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers completed acclimation training in Russia’s northeastern border regions and traveled to Kursk in late October.
As Moscow’s forces seek to expel dug-in Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk oblast, the North Korean forces are operating alongside Russia’s airborne and marine units, the intelligence service said.
Throughout the Russia-Ukraine war, the Kremlin has used these light infantry forces as specialist assault units. Although they have sustained heavy losses in the nearly 3-year-old conflict, North Korean troops, thought to be light infantry and special forces, provide a fresh, cohesive addition to the Russian forces.
Ukrainian officials say their forces have skirmished with North Korean troops but have not engaged in full-scale combat. The incoming troops may be combat-inoculated before deploying.
Footage on social media revealed North Korean 170 mm self-propelled guns moving through Russia, and officials in Seoul this week confirmed their deployment. Pyongyang is also sending 240 mm multiple-launch rocket systems.
Both are larger than most of what Moscow is fielding. Most Russian field artillery is 152 mm, and most MLRS are 122 mm, though larger calibers exist.
Effective defenses have been developed for traditional howitzers and rocket systems but not drones.
New ways of war
The National Intelligence Service said North Korean troops in Ukraine are receiving training in modern tactics and anti-drone measures. The most expansive use of drones in warfare has been in Ukraine.
Western troops used UAVs during the global war on terrorism, but not nearly on the scale of the Ukrainian fight. Nor did they have to defend against drones from the other side.
“The drone is a game-changer,” said Jee Hong-ki, a retired South Korean colonel who mentors active-duty troops in war gaming. “It is cheap but can deliver significant damage.”
Ukrainians have turned tiny, commercial drones into effective weapons against armored vehicles, bunker entrances and even individual Russian soldiers.
Fitted with explosives, the “suicide” drones are guided by remote operators wielding joysticks in a manner familiar to computer gamers. Direct-drop drones, which hover over enemy positions and drop clusters of grenades, can be reused.
Russia has struggled to find an effective counter. Electronic jamming, large-caliber shotguns and automatic rifle fire have been used to down drones, but none is foolproof. Some troops have welded roofs and cages of armor onto armored vehicles, but the suicide drones can fly through gaps in the armor.
Recent footage has shown netting strung from telephone poles over roadsides behind the front line to block attacks from above.
The North Korean troops and commanders deployed in Kursk will likely be immersed in these cutting-edge combat concepts. They will also have real-world experience that South Korean troops, for now, cannot match.
“They may come up with ideas on drone warfare that are as good or as unique as anyone else’s,” said Bob Collins, a North Korea watcher who briefs U.S. Forces Korea. “If I was chief of staff of the South Korean Army, I’d be extremely worried.”
“The reality is North Korean troops will have experience, but we don’t have the experience — only training,” said Mr. Jee. He noted that the South Korean army had not activated a dedicated drone command until this year.
Experience is one issue. Industrial capacity is another.
“The North Koreans have a proven capability in technological campaigns — not least in their nuclear program but also in terms of cyberattacks and counterfeit currencies,” said Alexander Neill, a regional security specialist with Pacific Forum. “They can quickly ramp up.”
South Korean defenses against drones have been found wanting in recent years. In 2022, North Korean reconnaissance drones survived attempted shoot-downs and loitered over the Defense Ministry and Presidential Office in Seoul before returning home.
In recent months, fleets of balloons loaded with trash have penetrated border air defenses, showcasing vulnerabilities and disrupting operations at Seoul airports.
Military analysts say Seoul urgently needs to dispatch military liaisons to Ukraine, but the opposition’s control of parliament has created a political roadblock.
“The opposition says if the government sends a team to Ukraine, it needs National Assembly approval,” Mr. Jee said. “I think the government should just send a team without approval.”
• Andrew Salmon can be reached at asalmon@washingtontimes.com.
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