North Korean defectors provide support to Ukrainian Psyops against former comrades

Almost 200 North Korean defectors who live there South KoreaMany with military backgrounds are trying to go to Ukraine to launch a psychological warfare campaign against Pyongyang’s forces reportedly deployed in Russia. South China morning mail.

The group, made up of ex-soldiers with up to ten years of military experience, is prepared to exploit their insider knowledge of North Korean military culture to disrupt and demoralize Kim Jong-un’s forces.

“We are veterans who understand North Korea’s military mentality better than anyone,” said Ahn Chan-il, a defector and head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies.

He expressed the group’s willingness to work as psyops operators, such as conducting loudspeaker broadcasts, preparing and distributing leaflets, and serving as interpreters.

According to the report, the proposal reflects the anger shared by the more than 30,000 defectors from the North now living in South Korea. They are alarmed by Kim Jong Un’s “aggression and disregard for international law” in sending troops to help Russia.

“As former North Korean soldiers, we are willing to go to the front, conduct psychological warfare, rescue these soldiers and dismantle the North’s mercenary policy,” the mission statement said.

Based on their intimate knowledge of North Korea’s military culture, the defectors believe they can exploit weaknesses and possibly encourage North Korean forces to “turn their guns.”

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South Korea, NATO and the United States claim that thousands of North Korean troops are already training in Russia.

Ahn, who defected in 1979 after being inspired by South Korean loudspeaker broadcasts and pamphlets while serving as a frontline guard, said the group could also persuade captured North Korean soldiers to defect if they were in Ukrainian hands would fall.

“Most North Korean soldiers, including elite special forces, suffer from food shortages and malnutrition. The soldiers you see on television parades are a carefully selected group – they are the alpha of the entire population,” he said.

Lee Min-bok, another leading figure in the initiative, has appealed directly to Ukraine, writing an open letter to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy through the Ukrainian embassy in Seoul.

“North Korean soldiers are there mainly as mercenaries, but we would go as volunteers on a mission of goodwill. Our mere presence in Ukraine could significantly affect the morale of North Korean troops,” he said, expressing hope that the Ukrainian government would welcome their offer.

The Ukrainian embassy has not yet responded, and the South Korean ministries of foreign affairs and unification have declined to comment.

The initiative comes amid political turmoil in South Korea, after leaked Telegram messages between a senior security official and a conservative lawmaker hinted at possible cooperation with Ukraine against North Korean forces aiding Russia.

President Yoon Suk-yeol recently indicated that South Korea could reconsider its long-standing stance against providing lethal aid to conflict zones, depending on North Korea’s involvement in the war.

He stated that South Korea “will not sit idly by” if North Korean forces support Russia, suggesting Seoul could consider arming Ukraine if military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow escalates.

Wi Seong-gon, a military analyst, indicated that South Korea could move closer to supplying weapons to Ukraine, possibly focusing on defensive systems such as anti-aircraft missiles, without ruling out the supply of offensive weapons such as artillery ammunition .

The head of Ukrainian military intelligence (RENT), Kyrylo Budanov, told The Economist reported on Tuesday that about 12,000 North Korean troops, including 500 officers and three generals, are currently deployed in Russia. According to Kiev Post sources within HUR, North Korea offers personnel, weapons and equipment to Russia to help offset significant battlefield losses.

In return, Russia is offering North Korea financial support and advanced technology to help develop and expand its nuclear program, Budanov said.

The Ukrainian ‘I Want to Live’ (Хочу жить) surrender hotline, run by HUR, has insisted North Korean soldiers have been sent to fight Ukraine to surrender and avoid participation in the conflict.

The deployment follows claims by Ukraine and South Korea in mid-October that Pyongyang had sent troops to support Moscow’s invasion, linked to the mutual defense pact signed between Russia and North Korea in June.