Conflicts

A former North Korean soldier has claimed that Asian troops deployed to Ukraine are unprepared and are likely to serve as "cannon fodder."

Hyunseung Lee, who spent over three years in an artillery and reconnaissance regiment in the 2000s, trained for six months with the Storm Corps, a North Korean elite unit that reportedly sent some of its members to Russia.

"They're totally not ready," he told RFE/RL by telephone from the United States.

As Ukrainian forces have already struck Kim Jong Un’s troops, the 58-year-old ex-soldier argues that even the elite Storm Corps lacks the necessary training for this kind of conflict.

Hyunseung Lee explained that young North Koreans join the military at age 17 and are required to serve for at least a decade.

"They have never engaged in major conflict. They don't have real battle experience," he added.

According to Kyiv, a contingent of 11,000 North Korean soldiers has arrived in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine still controls certain areas after a surprise breakthrough last summer.

Kyiv has also reported that Russia has provided North Korean soldiers with standard Russian military equipment.

(QG - Source : Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty / Picture: © Unsplash)