North Korea knows its troops could desert in Ukraine. It has chilling ways to keep them in line

Any North Korean troops sent to fight in Ukraine would be subject to harsh measures to ensure they don't desert, observers have told Business Insider.

There are growing reports of a mass North Korean deployment in support of Russian troops.

On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said "there is evidence" that North Korean troops were training in Russia.

Scattered reports have claimed that smaller numbers of North Korean troops are already in Ukraine.

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North Korea knows its troops could desert in Ukraine. It has chilling ways to keep them in line.

Mia Jankowicz Oct 24, 2024, 3:48 PM GMT+6

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A TV screen shows file images of North Korean soldiers during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.

AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

The US says North Korean troops are in Russia, possibly bound for the war in Ukraine.

The soldiers face strict measures to prevent their desertion, North Korea experts told BI.

The country uses a rigid system and family hostages to ensure loyalty.

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Any North Korean troops sent to fight in Ukraine would be subject to harsh measures to ensure they don't desert, observers have told Business Insider.

There are growing reports of a mass North Korean deployment in support of Russian troops.

On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said "there is evidence" that North Korean troops were training in Russia.

Scattered reports have claimed that smaller numbers of North Korean troops are already in Ukraine.

Ukrainian outlets Suspilne and Hromadske reported some early desertions, citing anonymous sources.

Business Insider could not independently confirm the reports, and Ukraine's military-defense agency did not respond to a request for comment.

A tight leash

Committing large numbers of troops abroad is risky for Kim Jong Un, who oversees a totalitarian state that rarely lets people out.

But the prize for cooperating with Russia is great — technological advancement and help for North Korea's cash-strapped economy.

Joseph S. Bermudez Jr, an expert in North Korean defense at the Center for International and Strategic Studies, told BI that those sent abroad would quickly see that even a life of poverty in Russia and Ukraine is better than what's at home.

"It's hard to imagine how tightly controlled North Korean society is," he said.

This image released by South Korea's spy agency the National Intelligence service shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un watches numerous shirtless North Korean troops in combat training, according to the age

ncy.

North Korea operates a complex social hierarchy in which citizens are tracked and classed according to perceived loyalty. It's often inherited from the actions of your parents or even grandparents, and has been described as effectively a form of caste system.

According to a landmark work on the subject by Mark Collins, an expert on North Korean security, only those classed as most loyal can become army officers.

Kim is likely to only send "politically reliable people" to fight, Bermudez said.

Those sent to aid Russia are likely accompanied by officials from the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, he added. "They file reports on everybody