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South Korean TV station TV Chosun reported that North Korea has plans to send troops to the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield and will send an elite engineering team to assist Russia in the construction of battlefield fortifications. This news immediately attracted the attention of the international community, and the United States immediately stood up to warn the DPRK, is the DPRK really so strong?
Condemnation from the United States and South Korea
U.S. State Department official Miller said: "If Russia starts any cooperation with other countries on the Ukrainian lands it has occupied, then we will strongly oppose it." He then warned: "Especially if the North Korean army enters the war, then the DPRK will become cannon fodder for Russia!" ”
South Korea, on the other hand, believes that North Korea is very likely to send an elite engineering unit to the Russian-Ukrainian war zone next month to assist in Russia's reconstruction efforts in the Donetsk region.
Some military experts commented that the engineering units sent by the DPRK are mainly responsible for helping Russia build various military facilities in the occupied areas, especially the construction of fortresses and trenches on the flanks of the Russian army's current defense line and the construction of various fortifications in the rear positions.
It has to be said that this cooperation between Russia and the DPRK may cause a strong reaction from the United States and NATO. It is highly likely that the United States will increase military assistance to Ukraine, and NATO may provide more weapons, thereby increasing tensions on the battlefield.
In the midst of this long-running war, Russia is facing a growing labor shortage. Although Russia's population is not small, the casualties of soldiers, the construction of fortifications during the war, and the construction of infrastructure in newly acquired areas require a lot of human resources.
The DPRK is able to fill the gap in manpower that Russia is just right. Russia and North Korea have just signed a partnership agreement, which will undoubtedly lay a solid foundation for this cooperation. Although North Korea dispatched only an engineering unit, after all, soldiers are not the same as construction workers. The addition of North Korea's active forces means that the Russian-Ukrainian war will escalate again.
Russian-Korean military agreement
In the early morning of June 19 this year, Putin arrived in the capital of North Korea, which was also the first visit to North Korea in 24 years. On the 17th local time, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement and decided to reach a partnership with North Korea, and the relationship between the two countries will go further.
The most striking thing about this treaty is that when any party is invaded by another country, another country will come to its aid. This is undoubtedly a military agreement, and both Russia and the DPRK intend to strengthen their ties at this moment.
Putin said that during the talks, the two sides mainly discussed national security issues and the international situation. It is possible that Russia, in accordance with the signed partnership treaty, will provide technical support to the DPRK, including the joint development of military science and technology. The treaty is significant and will be the cornerstone of the future relationship between the two countries.
In fact, as early as last year, Putin and Kim Jong-un held a meeting. The United States is very disturbed by this, fearing that the two countries may violate a number of Security Council resolutions. U.S. spokesman Miller said that North Korea may use Russian satellite technology to develop its own ballistic missiles, and the United States will not ignore it and will impose sanctions on North Korea.
Is the combat effectiveness of the North Korean army really so strong?
Why is the United States so worried about the North Korean army joining the Russian-Ukrainian war, is the North Korean army really so strong? In terms of military equipment alone, North Korea is not very strong. At present, many of the weapons used by the North Korean army are still used in the last century, and the most advanced fighter is only the MiG-29.
Since the end of the Korean War, North Korea's military power has been under control, and other powers have not provided North Korea with advanced artillery and ground weapons. North Korea's weaponry and technology have always lagged behind the top powers by an era. Obviously, there are countries that do not want North Korea to have the ability to attack.
At present, the DPRK army is still at a level that is not fully mechanized, but the military quality and combat readiness of the DPRK army are much higher. In the artillery battle of Yeonpyeongdo, the South Korean army, which has advanced K9 self-propelled guns, actually lost to the North Korean army with old BM-21 rocket artillery, which is enough to explain the problem.
Modern countries generally implement the "elite strategy", that is, equipping the army with a large number of high-tech weapons and reducing the number of troops, so as to improve the combat capability of the army and reduce military spending. North Korea, on the other hand, has been focusing on quantity.
North Korea has also been working to improve the military's defense capabilities, taking advantage of its current equipment and avoiding fighting in areas where the enemy has an advantage. For example, in the face of the powerful air power of the United States and South Korea, North Korea is committed to improving the defense capabilities of positions and facilities, and conducting special operations through tunnels and mini-submarines.
North Korea's leaders have been emphasizing the importance of military prowess, and are now focusing on the development of nuclear weapons and missiles. In January 2024, North Korea conducted an experiment with an underwater nuclear weapon in the eastern sea, which was named Tsunami-5-23, which also means that North Korea has a nuclear counterattack capability.
Why is the United States afraid of North Korea entering the war?
The addition of the DPRK army is undoubtedly a shot in the arm and helps to boost the morale of the Russian army. The DPRK army has always been characterized by high morale and stubborn fighting. Although it may be an engineer unit sent this time, it can also relieve the pressure on Russia to a certain extent.
Whether North Korean engineers can exert their strength on the battlefield of Russia and Ukraine depends on whether they can adapt to the battlefield environment of modern warfare and effectively cooperate with the Russian army, who have not yet completed mechanization. Only by making progress in these areas will the DPRK army be able to accumulate enough experience to meet greater challenges.
In fact, the United States is not afraid of the North Korean army joining the battlefield, after all, the weapons and equipment of the North Korean army are still not advanced enough, and it has never participated in modern warfare. The United States is only worried that more and more countries will reach cooperation with Russia, which will increase the uncertainty of the Russia-Ukraine war.
It is not yet known whether the United States will take further steps as a result of the addition of North Korean troops. However, it can be expected that the North Korean army is undoubtedly a variable in the Russian-Ukrainian war, which will relieve a lot of pressure on Russia. For Ukraine, how to deal with North Korea is also a difficult problem.
Resources
Beijing News: Russia and North Korea Sign Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty
The Paper: "Interpretation News|How can Russian-DPRK relations develop to a higher stage with the exchange of visits by leaders within a year?" 》
China News Network: "Decrypting the Military Strength of the Korean People's Army: A Huge Number of Opponents Is Hard to Eat in One Bite"
Observer.com: "Observer.com's Weekly Military Review: Is North Korea Strong or Weak?" 》
Nuclear Watch: North Korea's Test of Underwater Nuclear Weapons System, What Is the Origin of the First Publicly Disclosed Tsunami-5-23