π§΅ Interesting excerpts from the @KyivIndependent interview with Ukrainian Rangers, who captured one of the two North Korean soldiers in Kursk.
1) The KPA troops sent to π·πΊ aren't starving conscripts eager to defect, like many assumed (despite π°π·&πΊπ¦ intel publicly stating otherwise).
They are well-fed, trained & motivated troops of the KPA SOF.
There are π°π·&πΊπ¦ reports that wounded/trapped π°π΅ troops resort to suicide.
2) The rough appearance of the first KPA POW who died shortly after & a writing discovered on a dead π°π΅ may point to the presence of older soldiers & penal transfers. But the troops these πΊπ¦ Rangers frequently encounter seem to be young, fit & motivated.
3) Unsurprisingly, π°π΅'s properly trained & selected young men perform better in combat than π·πΊ's forcibly mobilized reservist mobiks & post-2023 kontraktniki lured by high pay, both types usually being middle-aged & beyond, with many being unfit for service.
4) The deployed π°π΅ troops likely all come from the 11th Storm Corps (SOF), while some perhaps are from the Reconnaissance General Bureau (military intelligence clandestine ops). Read more about these units here:
5) KPA SOF excel at light infantry work - because that's what they're made for. Their intended role is to infiltrate π°π· rear areas, eluding ROK military & police by quickly traversing the densely vegetated & mountainous Korean terrain.
6) Now, however, they're being employed by π·πΊ commanders as assault infantry on flat, wide, open terrain, facing an enemy who not only knows they're coming - but can see them.
KPA SOF are completely out of their element in these conditions.
7) Handicapped by their inherent isolation from modern tech & world news, π°π΅ troops had little understanding of drones. This was compounded by how short their preparation time in π·πΊ was, which lasted only one week for the first deployment wave.
8) However, observations by πΊπ¦ troops seem to suggest π°π΅ troops are learning & adapting, reportedly using innovative tactics & making use of their excellent marksmanship, taking out more small drones on average than π·πΊ troops.
9) The battlefield experiences gained by the KPA will not remain isolated to the troops in Kursk. Not only has π°π΅ begun production on π·πΊ Lancet drone copies, but have also begun integrating drones for exercises involving all their forces, incl reserves. rfa.org/english/korea/β¦
10) It's regrettable that a proposal to deploy a ROK military intelligence & advisory group to πΊπ¦ was shot down by π°π· opposition in defiance of anything the now-impeached President Yoon's gov did.
At least the National Intelligence Service (NIS) is in close contact with πΊπ¦ intel.
π§΅ Officially disclosed allied intelligence has confirmed the transfer of advanced Russian weapons systems to North Korea in return for their troop deployment & arms transfers.
Among the Russian weapons is at least one Russian Pantsir short-range air defense (SHORAD) system.
1) This revelation comes from a report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) published on May 29th on military cooperation between Russia & North Korea.
2) The MSMT was established in 2024 after Russia vetoed the renewal of a UN sanctions-monitoring panel for North Korea, evidently in preparation of actions defying UN Resolutions they themselves had adopted previously.
π§΅ Taking a close look at the acquisition projects worth $8.2 billion that were axed by the ROK Ministry of National Defense according to media reports from Feb 25.
1) The ROK Army won't acquire 36 additional AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters (we alr have 36 in two battalions under ROKA Aviation Cmmd). Since their adoption a decade ago, unit costs have risen by 160%, with the ROKA preferring to invest in new unmanned systems instead.
2) The current 36 Apaches are in use by the 901st & 902nd battalions, part of the 1st & 2nd Combat Aviation Brigades under Aviation Cmmd, respectively. They support the various corps under Ground Ops Cmmd (field army), which needs many more AH-64s to cover the entire frontline.
π§΅ An attempt by Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) staff and police officers to carry out the arrest warrant on impeached President Yoon has failed after the Presidential Security Service (PSS) and ROK Army 55th Security Group physically barred the arrest team from entering.
1) In the above pictures, personnel & vehicles belonging to PSS & Army 55th SecGrp can be seen blocking CIO & police. Note the unarmed K151 Light Tactical Vehicle (KLTV), which is uniquely painted in all-black instead of the usual 3-color woodland camouflage.
2) The operation began at 05:00 with the deployment of 2.700 police personnel (mostly Seoul Metropolitan Police mobile companies) around the Presidential residence. They ensured that pro-Yoon crowds did not interfere. At 08:00, a small arrest team arrived, which grew to...
Short π§΅ identifying the handful of units that were involved in the martial law operations at the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea.
1) Most prominently featured for their key role in entering the parliament bldg the farthest was the 707th Special Missions Group, the Army Special Warfare Command (SWC)'s premier counter terror unit and among the ROK's most elite.
2) 707 identifying feats: black uniforms (they have other types as well), Multicam gear, SCAR-L, K1A and SR-16 rifles, among other weapons. Possibly Special Missions Teams of the ROKA SWC 1st Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) were also present among the masses of black uniforms.
π§΅ Two days ago, @UKRinUN publicized its intel on the state of the North Korean deployment in Russia. Included were some details on how they'll be structured and which KPA generals are in charge.
1) First off, various reports of KPA troops having already been KIA/WIA or captured are still unconfirmed.
What we do know is that they've been getting refitted in π·πΊ's Eastern Military District & then sent to stage near the frontlines in Kursk. RSOI may take several more days.
2) Acc to πΊπ¦, the KPA troops are being grouped into five 2~3k strong units, noted as being equiv to typical π·πΊ motor rifle regiments. These will in turn be integrated into π·πΊ parent units with eastern minority ties, e.g. VDV 11th Sep Air Aslt Brigade, which has Buryat units.
π§΅ Analyzing π°π΅ troop deployments to π·πΊ.
Read up on yesterday's news of confirmation that π°π΅ combat troops were headed to help π·πΊ in its war against πΊπ¦ here:
1) As discussed in the thread above, the 1.5k SOF currently training in π·πΊ aren't the first π°π΅ troops to be deployed in support of the invasion of πΊπ¦. KPA missile technicians&officers have been near the front since Aug.
2) The KPA apparently suffered six officers KIA recently in Donetsk, prolly missile advisors. This was confirmed as likely true by π°π· MND, though other reports about KPA defections or KIA/POWs are unconfirmed claims.