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Jan 18 β€’ 12 tweets β€’ 4 min read β€’ Read on X
🧡 Interesting excerpts from the @KyivIndependent interview with Ukrainian Rangers, who captured one of the two North Korean soldiers in Kursk. Image
1) The KPA troops sent to πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί aren't starving conscripts eager to defect, like many assumed (despite πŸ‡°πŸ‡·&πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦ intel publicly stating otherwise).
They are well-fed, trained & motivated troops of the KPA SOF.
There are πŸ‡°πŸ‡·&πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦ reports that wounded/trapped πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅ troops resort to suicide. Image
2) The rough appearance of the first KPA POW who died shortly after & a writing discovered on a dead πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅ may point to the presence of older soldiers & penal transfers. But the troops these πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦ Rangers frequently encounter seem to be young, fit & motivated. Image
3) Unsurprisingly, πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅'s properly trained & selected young men perform better in combat than πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί'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. Image
4) The deployed πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅ 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 πŸ‡°πŸ‡· rear areas, eluding ROK military & police by quickly traversing the densely vegetated & mountainous Korean terrain. Image
6) Now, however, they're being employed by πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί 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. Image
7) Handicapped by their inherent isolation from modern tech & world news, πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅ troops had little understanding of drones. This was compounded by how short their preparation time in πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί was, which lasted only one week for the first deployment wave. Image
8) However, observations by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦ troops seem to suggest πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅ troops are learning & adapting, reportedly using innovative tactics & making use of their excellent marksmanship, taking out more small drones on average than πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί troops.
9) The battlefield experiences gained by the KPA will not remain isolated to the troops in Kursk. Not only has πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅ begun production on πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί Lancet drone copies, but have also begun integrating drones for exercises involving all their forces, incl reserves.
rfa.org/english/korea/…
10) It's regrettable that a proposal to deploy a ROK military intelligence & advisory group to πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦ was shot down by πŸ‡°πŸ‡· 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 πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦ intel.

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More from @Korea_Defense

Jan 3
🧡 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. https://m.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/Mobile/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0003093511#cb
https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/politics_general/1176204.html#cb
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...
Read 11 tweets
Dec 4, 2024
Short 🧡 identifying the handful of units that were involved in the martial law operations at the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. Image
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. Image
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. Image
Image
Image
Read 12 tweets
Nov 2, 2024
🧡 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. Image
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 πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί's Eastern Military District & then sent to stage near the frontlines in Kursk. RSOI may take several more days.
2) Acc to πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦, the KPA troops are being grouped into five 2~3k strong units, noted as being equiv to typical πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί motor rifle regiments. These will in turn be integrated into πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί parent units with eastern minority ties, e.g. VDV 11th Sep Air Aslt Brigade, which has Buryat units.
Read 10 tweets
Oct 19, 2024
🧡 Analyzing πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅ troop deployments to πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί.
Read up on yesterday's news of confirmation that πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅ combat troops were headed to help πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί in its war against πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦ here:
1) As discussed in the thread above, the 1.5k SOF currently training in πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί aren't the first πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅ troops to be deployed in support of the invasion of πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦. 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 πŸ‡°πŸ‡· MND, though other reports about KPA defections or KIA/POWs are unconfirmed claims.
Read 20 tweets
Jun 26, 2024
πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅ troops in πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦?
1) Many accounts & some media outlets are reporting that πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅ will deploy a military unit to πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί-occupied regions in πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦. The articles don't mention a source & the only one I can find is yesterday's Pentagon press briefing. A journalist claimed that πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅ Central... Image
2) ...Military Commission had alr announced it was deploying an engineering unit to Donetsk. The Pentagon spokesperson said that was "smth to keep an eye on" twice, likely implying he hadn't heard a confirmation of that news.
3) There has, as far as my research tells me, been no such statement made by πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅. Its Vice Chairman Park Jeong-cheon recently only said "πŸ‡°πŸ‡΅&πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί armies are always together".
πŸ‡°πŸ‡· National Intelligence Service & πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ DOD are both monitoring the possibility, let's wait & see.
Read 4 tweets
Mar 14, 2024
🧡In 2023, 500k 155mm shells in πŸ‡°πŸ‡· stocks were sent to the πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ to replace stocks sent to πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦. These were explicitly forbidden from going to πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦, as πŸ‡°πŸ‡· policy forbids this (much like πŸ‡©πŸ‡ͺ pre-Zeitenwende).
But according to @AP, πŸ‡°πŸ‡· shells are being sent indirectly: Image
1) "In support of Ukraine the McAlester plant has also accelerated repair of Stinger and Hawk missiles and has refurbished South Korea-provided 155mm rounds with new markings and fuses."
This was revealed today by @AP, though the source is unclear.
abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/t…
Image
2) This was previously alleged in leaks, but never confirmed. See @ColbyBadhwar's post.
πŸ‡°πŸ‡· gov has always strongly denied such accusations & maintained its stance of no arms exports to πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦, incl insisting that the 500k shells stay in the πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ.
Read 15 tweets

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