Tough methods North Korea could use to prevent soldiers from defecting to Ukraine

• The US says North Korean troops are in Russia, possibly heading to war in Ukraine.
• The soldiers are threatened with strict measures to prevent their desertion, say North Korea experts.
• The country uses a rigid system and family hostages to ensure loyalty.

Any North Korean troops sent to fight in Ukraine would be subjected to tough measures to ensure they do not desert, observers told Business Insider.

There are increasing reports of a mass deployment by North Korea to support Russian troops.

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

Anecdotal reports suggest that small numbers of North Korean troops are already in Ukraine.

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

Business Insider could not independently confirm the reports and Ukraine's Military Defense Service did not respond to a request for comment.

A tight leash

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

But the price of cooperation with Russia is great: technological advances and help for North Korea's financially struggling economy.

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

“It is difficult to imagine how tightly controlled North Korean society is,” he said.

North Korea has a complex social hierarchy in which citizens are tracked and divided based on their perceived loyalty. It is often inherited from the actions of parents or even grandparents and is practically described as a form of the caste system.

Only those considered the most loyal can become army officers, according to a seminal work on the subject by Robert Collins, an expert on North Korean security.

Bermudez said Kim would likely send only “politically reliable people” into battle.

Those sent to support Russia would likely be accompanied by officials from Korea's ruling Workers' Party, he said, adding: “They report on everyone.”

“Are you drinking too much? Are they trying to get goods they can't get in North Korea and send them home?” he said.

Bermudez said they would most likely also have to undergo self-criticism sessions – an intensive group exercise in which one admits one's shortcomings.

He said they could berate themselves by saying something like, “I haven't thought about the Kim family 20 times today.” I only thought 15 times.”

Soldiers would be sent to a re-indoctrination camp after returning to North Korea to reaffirm their loyalty, he added.

Those who returned would likely be honored and rewarded with greater privileges, such as a better job. Bermudez said the families of those who die in combat also gain tremendous social respect and benefits.

The North Korean state is also taking tougher action means keeping its citizens in check abroad.

Bruce W. Bennett, a defense researcher and North Korea specialist at RAND, said those who leave, such as diplomats, are almost never allowed to bring their entire families with them.

“It is very typical for the Kims to insist that at least one member of a family working abroad remain hostage in Pyongyang,” he told BI.

And anyone who defects ensures that their entire family suffers, Bermudez said, adding: “North Korea believes in generational punishment.”

In interviews with refugees and defectors, he said: “One of their biggest concerns is that they have abandoned their family.”

That's because her extended family would most likely be sent to brutal labor camps – Bermudez described them as similar to a Nazi labor camp or a Soviet gulag.

An opportunity for the West?

Kim is “Scared as hell” of foreign information being brought back to North Korea, Bennett said.

The leader rails against outside culture — in 2021, for example, he called K-pop a “vicious cancer” — because he perceives it as a major threat, Bennett said.

An assessment by The National Interest earlier this year argued that South Korea in particular was well positioned to exploit this fear.

On Tuesday, Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong, who was his de facto deputy, attacked both Ukraine and South Korea, comparing them to “evil dogs bred by the United States.”

Bennett said the presence of North Korean troops in Ukraine could provide a rare opportunity to reach senior North Korean citizens.

“The question we ultimately have to ask ourselves is: Why aren't the United States and Western countries trying to better use this situation to our advantage?” he said.

Correction: October 24, 2024 – An earlier version of this story misstated the name of the author of the groundbreaking work on North Korea's social hierarchy. It's Robert Collins, not Mark Collins.