North Korea is enforcing strict secrecy around casualties among its troops fighting in Russia. A source within the Korean People’s Army’s 11th Corps revealed that internal protocols exist to quietly handle soldier deaths, with families receiving limited details and the public kept entirely in the dark.
“Even when troops perish during training, they are interred on a hill close to their base or cremated, with their families merely informed of their death in the line of duty,” stated the source. “Similarly, troops dispatched to Russia are treated the same way. If a soldier sustains injuries in an accident that render them unfit for combat, they are sent back to North Korea instead of receiving medical care in Russia.”
Daily NK recently reported that the North Korean authorities have conducted intensified indoctrination classes for Storm Corps personnel to prepare them to “give their lives for the supreme leader (Kim Jong Un).” This is to say, the authorities view the soldiers as nothing more than “tools to protect the leader to the death.”
The source told Daily NK that “when North Korean soldiers are unscathed, they are warriors who can fight for the leader and earn funds for the state (as mercenaries), but when they are wounded or killed, the government thinks of them as useless.”
Radio silence
Under these conditions, the authorities are concentrating on quelling rumors and related activities to eradicate any potential threats to the system. They are censoring information to leave the public uninformed about battlefield casualties, similarly to their denial of the deployment to Russia, while the Rodong Sinmun newspaper omits such reports.
“The authorities don’t announce anything regarding the deployment per secrecy rules,” the source said. “Because those responsible would have to take responsibility if facts were to get out, there would be fallout, including executions.” This suggests that the authorities might apply the 2023 State Secrets Protection Law to those who violate secrecy surrounding the troop deployment.
Some North Koreans are concerned that the deployment of the Storm Corps to Russia could be a strategic maneuver aimed at invading South Korea, especially since this specialized unit has engaged in intra-unit drills this year that simulate infiltrations into the South.
“Prior to their deployment, they carried out numerous practical drills based on emergency scenarios, with a specific focus on intensive shooting practice,” the source reported. “It is also understood that they rehearsed actions designed to create turmoil in South Korea, such as campaigns to undermine morale by targeting KBS and other South Korean broadcasters, and plans to broadcast the hoisting of the North Korean flag across the South.”
Personnel of the Storm Corps undergo rigorous evaluation and selection based on their physical prowess, loyalty, and spirit. Their service duration ranges from 10 to 13 years, depending on their specific formation, which is longer than that of regular units. They adhere to more stringent regulations and undergo intensive training as an elite special forces unit.
“The Storm Corps is intensifying their ‘one-versus-100’ and ‘one-versus-1,000’ training with rigorous physical exercises and tactical drills that mimic real combat,” the source stated. “North Korea conducts these drills based on the principle that each soldier should be proficient in all tactics of air, land, and sea, encompassing communication, hand-to-hand combat, mountain warfare, disrupting enemy lines, guerrilla warfare, and infiltration.”
Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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