North Korean soldiers aid Russia: a dilemma of concealment and anxiety

Recently, it was reported that North Korea has sent up to 10,000 soldiers to support Russia's military operations in Ukraine, especially in the Kursk region where fierce fighting has taken place. This news not only shocked the international community, but also caused anxiety and fear among the soldiers' families in North Korea. Although Pyongyang tried to keep it strictly confidential, the mobilization and casualties of soldiers gradually spread, causing many families to fall into deep anxiety.

Kim Jeong-ah is a North Korean defector who escaped from North Korea in 2009 and is also a mother. She said that the families of North Korean soldiers, especially mothers, are suffering from unspeakable psychological torture. "They don't even dare to cry at home because the walls are thin and they are afraid that neighbors will hear them and attract surveillance." She currently runs a non-profit organization dedicated to North Korean women's rights in Seoul and empathizes with the pain of the families.

Deployment of North Korean special forces: secret operations and human rights disputes

According to information provided by Western intelligence agencies and North Korean defectors, North Korea has deployed its elite "Storm Corps" special forces to support Russia. Although the news has not been publicly confirmed, the impact is obvious: families are kept in the dark and do not even know where their relatives are deployed or their safety.

Lee Hyun Seung, who served in the Storm Corps and currently lives in the United States, pointed out that the North Korean government maintains a complete information blockade on the families of soldiers, and all deployment details are considered highly confidential. However, as the number of casualties among soldiers increases, the news cannot be completely covered up, and opposition is quietly growing among the people.

Lee further emphasized that the North Korean people generally dislike such military mobilization without the consent of their families, especially when the soldiers' sacrifices have nothing to do with defending the motherland. This situation may lead to the accumulation of civil discontent and bring potential instability to North Korean society.

Multiple traumas of family and society

North Korean soldiers and their families are experiencing multiple psychological pressures. According to Oh Eun-kyung, a consultant to the Korean Psychological Counseling Association, soldiers sent to the battlefield may face extreme trauma, while the families left behind are deeply tortured by helplessness and isolation. Oh said that this psychological state may become a fuse for social unrest, especially when dissatisfaction is difficult to express.

Former North Korean diplomat Tae Young-ho also pointed out that due to North Korea's extremely low fertility rate, most families have only one or two children. When these children are sent to a foreign country or even sacrificed, the pain and anger of their parents can be imagined. This sacrifice is without any legitimate reason and cannot be accepted by the family.

Insufficient training and resources: Soldiers' survival dilemma

According to Lee Woong-gil, a defector, the training level and physical condition of North Korean soldiers have declined significantly compared with the past. In photos of soldiers on the Russian front, many look like recruits who have just completed basic training, and their physical fitness is obviously insufficient. As a unit sent to the front line, they face a higher risk of casualties.

In addition, the North Korean government has difficulty providing adequate financial compensation for these deployed soldiers. Lee Woong-gil predicts that this dilemma may cause soldiers to surrender in battle or try to escape, which will further weaken the morale of the soldiers and may also cause more family conflicts and social problems.

International context: a war without legitimacy

Ri Jong Ho, a former senior North Korean economic official, pointed out that unlike other wars in North Korea's history, sending soldiers to aid Russia this time lacks any legitimacy. During the Cold War, North Korea sent troops to support the Vietnam War in order to maintain the socialist front. However, this time it was an aggressive war and North Korean soldiers were actually reduced to "cannon fodder".

Pyongyang has always denied sending soldiers to the outside world, but history tells us that such denials often cannot last. For example, North Korea denied its involvement in the Vietnam War for a long time until it admitted this fact through official media in 2002. Ri Jong Ho believes that North Korea may use this strategy again to cover up the truth to maintain domestic stability.

Psychological trauma and long-term impact

North Korean soldiers who participate in the battle will face severe psychological trauma. David Maxwell, vice president of the U.S. Asia-Pacific Strategic Center, pointed out that these soldiers who have never experienced actual combat are likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after witnessing and experiencing the horrors of war on the front line. However, due to institutional restrictions in North Korea, it is difficult for them to obtain appropriate psychological treatment.

More worrying is the long-term social impact that these traumas may bring. After returning to North Korea, soldiers may aggravate social problems due to their inability to adapt to normal life, and may also become a potential force against the current regime.

Chain reaction of fear and anxiety

North Korea's dispatch of soldiers to assist Russia is not only an international military action, but also a multiple trauma to families, society and individual soldiers. The spread of anxiety and dissatisfaction among family members and the psychological pressure of the soldiers themselves are accumulating more unstable factors for North Korean society.

The international community's attention to this situation should not only be limited to the military level, but also pay attention to the far-reaching impact of this war on ordinary North Koreans. Over time, soldier casualties and family suffering may become a major challenge for the North Korean regime, and the social unrest caused by this will also plant more variables for the future situation in Northeast Asia.