Unprepared North Korean troops had a rough start against Ukraine, but could learn to adapt

• North Korean troops are engaged in combat against Ukrainian forces, the White House said.
• They’ve had a rough start, and seem to lack experience with drones and working with Russians.
• This has led to reported losses, but analysts said they should be able to learn to adapt.

North Korean troops have engaged in combat with Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region, with media and intelligence reports suggesting they’re off to a rough start.

Footage obtained by Radio Liberty on Monday showed Ukraine striking a group of soldiers, with sources telling the outlet that North Koreans were among them.

The same day, Ukrainian officials and soldiers told The Washington Post that North Korea’s troops were operating in big groups out in the open, and were getting killed by drones they didn’t realize were dangerous.

A senior US military official said this week that North Korea’s dead and wounded could now be counted in the hundreds.

Military analysts told BI that, while the limited number of early reports makes it difficult to give a definitive assessment, they’re not surprised by the reports.

“The North Koreans are taking apparently unnecessary casualties as they are rushed into combat without a period of training on the unique threats here,” said Wallace Gregson, a former US Marine Corps officer and former assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs.

Uncharted territory

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Monday that North Korean troops had moved to the front lines and were “actively engaged in combat operations.”

Evans Revere, a senior advisor with Albright Stonebridge Group, said that while North Korean troops seemed “disciplined” and “tough,” their lack of experience in ground combat and unfamiliarity with drone warfare was taking its toll.

He said that the reported casualty numbers suggest that North Korean forces are in the “thick of heavy fighting” and that “if the North Koreans continue to suffer casualties at this rate, they will very soon require fresh forces.”

Revere also said their lack of Russian language and absence of experience in training and operating jointly with Russian forces seemed to be a problem.

On Saturday, Ukrainian intelligence said North Korean troops opened fire on Russian military vehicles, killing eight soldiers, due to a language barrier between the two forces.

Too early, too inexperienced

The last time North Korean troops really fought was during the Korean War, where fighting ended in 1953.

Gregson said that this time around, Russia may have thrown North Korean troops to the front in earlier waves of attacks, which he said usually include the “least-trained” soldiers.

He told BI that “high casualties” weren’t unexpected, given their light infantry capabilities and the likely language barrier.

However, he said you needed to respect their “apparent courage and determination — and sacrifice — in a conflict not of their choosing far from their home.”

Military analysts also said that the North Korean troops could soon adapt to the new battlefield conditions.

Revere said it won’t be long before the North Koreans learn how to operate in this environment.

However, he said it’s “still not clear” how well Russian and North Korean troops are operating in tandem, or whether Russian commanders are providing good leadership and guidance.

The UK Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update on Thursday that Russian and North Korean forces were “almost certainly” experiencing difficulties, with North Korean troops struggling to integrate into Russia’s command and control structure.

Another major issue is their unfamiliarity with modern battlefield warfare.

John Hardie, the deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said the evidence so far suggests North Korean troops were unprepared for the drone threat.

But, he said, “I suspect they’ll adapt with time and may have started doing so already.”

Covering up deaths

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia has been trying to conceal North Korean deaths. In a nightly address on Monday, he claimed that Russian forces were burning the faces of killed soldiers to conceal their identity.

Revere said attempts to cover up the deaths were likely part of Russia’s effort to avoid admitting to the Russian people that the country lacks the ability to defeat Ukraine by itself.

North Korea has also often been the object of ridicule in Russia, he added, “so for the Russians to have to admit their need for DPRK support would be embarrassing.”

For North Korea, the stakes are also high.

Bruce W. Bennett, a defense researcher and North Korea specialist at RAND, said that Kim Jong Un is taking risks by sending troops to support Russia, especially potential elite-class military personnel.

He said that Kim is unlikely to want to return the bodies of those killed to their families, fearing potential instability inside North Korea.

“Kim will likely prefer that the soldiers who are killed simply disappear,” he said.