Kim’s Human Blitzkrieg – Ukrainian Troops Reveal North Korean Tactics in Kursk

“Highly motivated, well-trained” and “brave” – Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky described the North Korean troops as such in Monday’s interview with Ukrainian media TSN.

These qualities were demonstrated by their relentless assaults on Ukrainian positions with little to no armored support, often moving without pause across mined terrains and into direct fire, as a New York Times (NYT) report established, citing comments from Ukrainian troops and Pentagon officials. 

At the same time, these tactics also reflected poor coordination between Russian and North Korean troops, where highly-trained Pyongyang troops taught to conduct surgical strikes are utilized as cannon fodders, according to Celeste A. Wallander, who until Inauguration Day was the Pentagon’s assistant secretary for international security affairs.

“It’s partly two different militaries that have never trained or operated together and partly, I think, Russian military culture, which is, shall we say, not highly respectful of the abilities and norms and operations of partner forces,” Wallander told the NYT.

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According to one North Korean soldier captured by Kyiv, he and his comrades only received one week of integration training with the Russian military before combat.

North Korean tactics

“It’s just forward, forward … It’s motivation, orders and strict discipline,” Andrii, a Ukrainian commander only identified by his first name as per military protocols, described the North Korean tactics in a comment to the NYT.

Andrii demonstrated the North Korean tactics using a video taken on the front using a thermal camera onboard a drone earlier this month, in which the assault groups consisting of five to eight soldiers were seen slowly advancing and massing in a tree line before assaulting a Ukrainian trench.

Andrii said there were about 50 North Korean troops present in that operation, where many were shot as they advanced by foot over a distance of about 5 miles (8 kilometers).

But they pressed on.

The video showed reinforcements taking the place of those wounded and continuing the advance without retreating.

“It feels like they specifically came here to die, and they know it themselves,” Oleksii, a platoon commander, described his experience with the North Korean troops in a comment to the NYT.

The aging human wave doctrine that hailed from the Korean War, as seen in Kursk in the present day, remains strong in the North Korean military, a cost Pyongyang considered necessary in becoming more skilled in modern warfare, Seoul intelligence officials told the NYT.

Oleksii also said the Pyongyang troops looked for gaps to wear out Ukrainian defenses.

“The Koreans are starting to push the front lines, targeting less defended areas and wearing out our troops that way,” Oleksii added.

The NYT said the North Korean troops stormed positions without securing them, leaving that task to their Russian counterparts instead. They would either keep storming new positions or fall back if needed.

Andrii also told the NYT that Pyongyang troops were observed evacuating the wounded, which he said was different from their Russian counterparts.

North Korean troops were also reportedly instructed to commit suicide to prevent capture. In one instance, one was reportedly talked out of doing so by a Ukrainian Special Operation Forces (SSO) operative using Korean.

But capturing North Koreans – only two confirmed captured by Kyiv so far – to understand more about North Korean operations also proves to be difficult, with Russian troops striving to keep them silent at all costs.

“If Russians see Koreans being captured, they use drones to finish them off – killing both the Koreans and our soldiers,” Oleksii told the NYT, adding that some in his units were killed this way.

Command structure, integration

In terms of command structure, available data showed that the units from the two armies act largely independently from each other, with coordination done at a high level between generals at headquarters.

Ukraine’s military intelligence claimed that Pyongyang sent 500 officers and at least three generals to aid Russia, where unnamed Pentagon officials said the generals are posted at Russian command and control headquarters.

Commanders determine when artillery support is needed and the timing for ground troops advances. They also directly coordinate with field troops to avoid interaction between North Korean field units and Russian command, minimizing the risk of misunderstandings, a senior Pentagon official told the NYT.

That said, intercepted calls between Russian troops have reportedly shown attempts to integrate North Korean troops – whom they called “the Chinese” – into Russian frontline units, at least in the early days of Pyongyang’s reinforcement deployment.

Despite attempts to integrate North Korean troops into the Russian military, results have been lacking due to various factors, US officials and Ukrainian troops said.

Issues reportedly ranged from not having Russian uniforms small enough for the Pyongyang troops, to poor communication that led to at least two friendly fire incidents, according to US officials and Ukrainian troops.

“Now they’ve started composing groups that include a translator or someone who speaks Russian with a radio, but these groups are not very effective,” Ukrainian commander Andrii told the NYT.

Adaption to modern warfare

North Korean troops have also adapted to drone warfare to some degree, as seen in a diary discovered on the front.

“Simultaneously, the one baiting the drone keeps a distance of seven meters, while those shooting stay 10-12 meters away. If the bait stands still, the drone will also stop moving. At this moment, the shooter eliminates the drone,” it reads, outlining improvised tactics against Ukrainian drones.

Kyiv Post recently analyzed a video purportedly showing Ukrainian drones targeting a North Korean soldier, with a small explosion seen on the drone’s camera before a soldier with a bloody face is seen lying on the ground, turning from side to side.

Another video purportedly showed North Korean troops evicting locals from their homes to seek shelter from Ukrainian drones.

At the same time, some Ukrainian troops said the North Koreans’ proficiency in small arms had allowed them to down drones with basic automatic weapons, with the Ukrainian troops cautioning not to underestimate the North Korean forces.

Ukraine’s countermeasures

To counter the North Korean anti-drone tactics, Ukrainian troops now target concentrated troops instead of individuals, drone pilots told the NYT.

Instead of planting antipersonnel mines 15 meters (49 feet) apart, now they are no more than five meters (16 feet) apart to deter the relentless North Korean advances.

Fighting one of the world’s largest armies was tough enough, but adding another one on top – with North Korea also amongst the world’s largest, boasting an estimated 1.3 million active personnel back home – platoon commander Oleksii told the NYT that Ukraine is now fighting “on the edge” of what’s possible.

But it is a battle of evolving tactics between the two.

“They are being tested, really tested,” said Ukrainian commander Andrii. He said while they did not have combat experience, this would no longer be the case.

“... now they are here, gaining it, and they are becoming very strong.”