North Korea is still hiding deployment of troops to Russia from the people
Pyongyang and Moscow have not officially recognized the deployment of North Korean soldiers to the Russian-Ukraine war. (Image |iStock/studiocasper)
Despite the considerable international attention on the deployment of North Korean military personnel to Russia, there has been no news at all about it within North Korea itself.
The authorities are so concerned about information about the war with Ukraine leaking that any mention is strictly prohibited both within the military and in society at large.
This total silence is in stark contrast to past practice, where war talk by North Korea is normal. Any reference to the United States and South Korea, for example, describes them as “invading forces” in the context of the Korean War which ended in a truce over 70 years ago.
What is the reason behind the tight lips over its involvement in this current war?
For a long time, Pyongyang has cultivated hostility within the military and society in general towards certain countries through ideological education materials. It designates the U.S., South Korea and Japan as the primary enemies. In line with this, news of soldiers and civilians sacrificed in past conflicts is typically dragged up and broadcast to stoke present-day animosity.
The main reason this same style is not in evidence with the Russia deployment is that the regime fears that it is involved in an unjust war, or at least that this is how it will be seen.
If the official enemies are the U.S., South Korea, and Japan, what are we doing fighting for Russia against Ukraine? Such an obvious question could cause significant internal turmoil.
It is particularly likely to be asked by the younger generation and specifically the MZ generation, which tends to place more importance on individual life than on national ideology, compared to previous generations.
The soldiers sent to Russia have had no training against Ukraine and are not likely to consider it an enemy country, said Jung, a North Korean who served at the DMZ before defecting in 2022.
Another defector with the same surname, who was a political officer in a border unit in North Hamgyong Province, said the regime’s fear is very real. “The military is monitored through a layered surveillance system, and while there seems to be no externally observable expression of it, we may be certain that internal unrest is at a serious level.”
Young people in the military are showing signs of a shift in alignment that the regime considers dangerous.
“Soldiers deployed to Russia are not fighting with a sense of duty,” he said. “Rather, they are being subjected to multiple layers of surveillance and control by both North Korean internal monitoring systems and Russian military authorities. This situation is a kind of act of mass murder by Kim Jong-un.”
Defectors with a military background argue that the families of soldiers who have died in the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as those who survived the battlefield, will never forgive Kim’s “murder orders.”
Inside North Korea, the established practice of notifying families of fallen soldiers within ten days is not being followed. Despite several months passing since the news of North Korean casualties in Russia, authorities are blocking acknowledgment of them, saying the claims are psychological warfare aimed at slandering the regime. Military authorities have not only failed to inform the families of the deaths, but they have also kept this information as classified internal material.
This is seen as a strategy to curb the rapid spread of internal dissatisfaction. If news of large-scale casualties in Russia spreads, it could lead to unrest within the military and society, potentially destabilizing North Korea’s cooperation with Russia.
Recent reports from defectors linked to families inside North Korea suggest that discontent is growing. In response, the regime’s measures to control this situation have intensified. In this context, it is likely that the North Korean leadership will continue to block any information regarding the Russian deployment and simultaneously devise a new propaganda strategy to justify the situation internally.
Ultimately, how North Korea handles this situation will determine its internal stability and international standing.
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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