Defectors step up to support soldiers deployed to Russia to escape
Amid concerns over North Korea’s forces supporting Russia, defectors in South Korea view it as an opportunity to guide these soldiers toward a new path to freedom (Image: KCNA)
While news reports confirming that North Korea has dispatched special forces to fight for the Russians in their war against Ukraine have raised international concern, defectors in South Korea are taking a more positive view. They see the deployment as an opportunity to help North Korean soldiers to defect.
Some NGOs in Seoul have set up a task force consisting of defectors with experience in the North Korean military and psychological warfare experts. They are developing a recommendation to the South Korean government to work with the Ukrainians to provide escape assistance to North Korean troops.
They believe that, while escaping from North Korea is difficult and dangerous, once in Russia, soldiers might find favorable conditions to flee.
North Korean troops not committed to fight
Young North Korean soldiers belong to the “Jangmadang (market) Generation.” In contrast to their elders, they think more individualistically. This generation is also known for its strong desire for freedom.
This is the view of three recent defectors who agreed to talk about their generation. Oh, who defected via Panmunjom in 2017, Lee, who escaped through Goseong in 2020, and Kim Lee-hyeok, who arrived via fishing boat in 2023, say that younger North Korean soldiers these days prioritize personal survival and freedom over loyalty to the regime.
They suggest that psychological tactics, plus some direct assistance, could encourage North Korean soldiers in Russia to defect.
“A soldier inside North Korea who wants to escape the country is really putting himself at risk,” one of the defectors said. “He would have to first get out of the barracks, then make his way to the border and cross, and then avoid arrest in China and figure out how to get to a third country.”
A defector who wanted to come the other way, across the North-South Korean border, would find it even more difficult, avoiding surveillance and dealing with guard posts, minefields, and high-tension barbed wire.
“Soldiers in Russia, however, won’t face these problems. Their main issue will be the unfamiliar geography,” another said.
Not only will they be out of the regime’s direct line of sight, but also the fluid wartime environment can have the effect of weakening their unit’s monitoring systems. In addition, these soldiers will themselves be fully armed, which gives them the ability to break through the security and surveillance networks head-on.
Human rights organizations for North Korean defectors stress the importance of understanding that deployed North Korean soldiers as individuals who yearn for personal freedom. They need to be separated in the international perception from their function serving the regime’s strategic goals of earning foreign currency, acquiring military technology, gaining combat experience, and strengthening military alliances.
As these soldiers do not have a positive outlook on the war in Russia and have no hostility toward Ukraine, it is likely they may attempt collective defections under the life-threatening pressures of the battlefield.
If intensive psychological operations are conducted in the areas where North Korean soldiers are deployed, along with well-organized support, including clear escape routes, assurances of safety, and sufficient rewards, it could make large-scale defections feasible.
Human rights groups formed by defectors argue that historical instances of group defections in wartime show that this scenario is entirely possible.
The groups, which include Korean Solidarity for Unification, are currently drafting a proposal to the South Korean Presidential Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to recommend the creation of a psychological operations team composed of previous defectors.
This team would work in collaboration with the Ukrainian government to rescue North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia.
To work out the details of the proposal, these organizations have set up a task force with defectors who previously served in the North Korean military and psychological warfare experts. They will suggest new strategies to encourage mass defections.
Human rights groups are convinced that a successful psychological operation resulting in the mass defection of these soldiers could lead to internal unrest within the North Korean military and potentially deter further provocative deployments by North Korea. They plan to strongly advocate for international support to aid these deployed North Korean soldiers in finding freedom and challenging the regime.
For ten years, Seiul served in the North Korean People's Army (KPA), including the 9th Corps. After completing his military service, he taught mathematics at Cheongjin Mining and Metallurgy University. In 2008, he defected to South Korea, where he founded the National Association of North Korean Defectors, an NGO that aims to promote democratization in North Korea and improve human rights. He majored in computer technology at Pyongyang University of Automation, a top state institution known for cyber training and producing hackers for the KPA.
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