Karl Anthony Borg
In early November 2024, rumors of troop deployments to Russia started spreading among the residents of the North Korean city of Hyesan, on the border with China. Families feared that their own sons would have to fight in Ukraine, but without any official news from Pyongyang, they could not verify the claims. In a few days, the rumors spread from Hyesan to other regions through local merchants’ trade networks and border officials.
The rumors proved to be correct.
An agreement between Russia and North Korea, finalized in November 2024, saw the latter sending a reported 11,000 troops to the frontlines in Ukraine, with Russia providing them with supplies and a generous salary. While attention has been focused on the possibility of the North Korean regime acquiring new military and nuclear technologies, the domestic implications of such a deployment remain largely unexplored.
North Korean forces are suffering severe casualties in Ukraine, specifically around the Kursk region where most of them have been deployed on the frontlines. Ukraine and South Korea both have estimated that as much as 3,000, out of the initial 11,000, have already been reported dead or wounded.
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