They pay blood for experience: Military DPRK have become serious opponents for the Armed Forces - WSJ

The authors of the material point out that as soon as the soldiers of the Korean People's Democratic Republic were arrived in the Kursk region, they carried out the positions of the Defense Forces of Ukraine in large groups. Because they did not have the support of artillery, drones and armored vehicles, military Kim Jong -in became easy for Ukrainian fighters. However, by February 2025, the tactics of DPRK servicemen have changed, journalists write.

They began to assault in small groups, with the support of Russian bombs, artillery, percussion drones, better integrated with Russian troops, and in combination with high numbers and physical endurance, it made them serious opponents. "They pay blood. But this experience is not disappeared," said the commander of the 225th Regiment of the Armed Forces Captain Oleg Shiryaev.

According to the Ukrainian military, 12,000 North Korean soldiers in December had ideological passion and high endurance and continued the offensive, even when their brothers were injured or killed near them. "It was like scenes from World War II, they just ran," one of the Ukrainian fighters recalled. The DPRK was quickly adapted to the conditions of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Documents, words of military analysts and Ukrainian servicemen who came into battle with them testify that the first of all the soldiers of Kim Jong -in adapted to UAV attacks, learned to avoid and destroy them. To do this, the North Koreans bypassed the Ukrainian units from the flank: when one part participated in a direct attack, the other struck from the rear smaller groups.

In early January, the DPRK's troops retreated from the Kursk region after significant losses, but they returned in about a month, journalists write. Since then, they have become a valuable asset for the Russian army, when the tactics and integration with the troops of the Russian Federation have been combined with the endurance of Koreans and the willingness to move forward under hostile fire.

Captain Oleg Shiryaev also noted that the key advantage of North Korea soldiers over the Armed Forces is their neglect of the value of human life. "Why do the Koreans storm? They are better prepared psychologically and better prepared physically. In the Kursk region they fulfilled their mission," the Ukrainian military said.

On March 27, the South Korean edition of Yonhap, with reference to the military, reported that the DPRK had sent to Russia to participate in the war against Ukraine for at least 3,000 soldiers. The DPRK with the DPRK Khanil Jong in the interview of the Czech Irozhlas interviewed on March 26, he revealed that Kim Jong-in soldiers would receive for participation in the Russian-Ukrainian war. The German TV channel ZDF reported on April 4 that the DPRK soldiers could join the battles in Ukraine.