[NewsNow] North Korean military's actual use of 'counting'... 'transporting by truck'

■ Host: Anchor Jeong Ji-woong
■ Starring: Park Won-gon, Professor of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN NewsNOW] when quoting.

[Anchor]
Ask a professional about a hot issue. It's an issue call. War clouds are rising as North Korean troops sent to Russia gather in the partially occupied Kursk province of Ukraine.

The New York Times quoted sources as saying up to 5,000 North Korean troops were expected to gather here by today, suggesting a North Korean battle was imminent.

In the meantime, Kim Young-bok, a close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's military, has been confirmed to be staying in Russia and is expected to take over the general command of the dispatch unit.

The South Korean government called for the immediate withdrawal of the North Korean military and said it would implement phased countermeasures, which is expected to take a full-fledged response.

Amid speculation that the North Korean military dispatched this time could be an advance party for guns, some are raising the possibility of additional dispatch. Is it Kim Jong Un's dispatch to Russia? Is it a self-inflicted water?

I'm connected by Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University.Professor, you're out, right?

[Park Won-gon]
Hello.

[Anchor]
The dispatched North Korean troops are gathering in the battleground Kursk. Some say that it will be put into practice soon, so when do you expect it to be?

[Park Won-gon]
There are still a lot of uncertainties. First of all, the region of Kursk itself was first attacked by Ukraine in August, securing a certain level of Russian territory, sometimes up to 1,300 square kilometers, but the recent situation shows that Russia has started fighting back again in this region, reducing the number of occupied areas in Ukraine by half.

And the Kursk region itself is called Moscow's leash. The reason is that if you want to go from Europe to Moscow, you have to go right through here, and another characteristic is the vast land. It's not an area that can be covered like a mountain range, so if the war gets serious, it can lead to victims. Some media say that they went to this area, but if so, I think we should look at two possibilities.

One can be a combat force that actually conducts battle, or because fighting took place in this area, the role of engineers to restore the damage to the battle centered on Russia is still needed to be confirmed.

[Anchor]
The North Korean troops who were dispatched were known as the best troops, but some analysts say that is not the case. There's a possibility like this, so what do you think?

[Park Won-gon]
We need to check this part, too. The 11th Corps of the North Korean army is said to be the best unit, and its name is called the Storm Corps. When it comes to us, they say it's a certain level of special forces, but that's not necessarily the case. Because if you look at the brigades included in this storm brigade, there are definitely special warfare brigades such as the Sniper Brigade, the Air Army Brigade, and our airborne forces, but there are also the Light Infantry Brigade.

As for us as a whole, except for some personnel, there are forces that are well trained and well equipped compared to other North Korean soldiers. So, it is judged that whether to view this as the most elite unit or as a unit capable of carrying out combat can be confirmed when it really enters the combat mission.

As you said, we cannot rule out the possibility of great damage. Since the Kursk region is an open area, if North Korean troops are deployed to the front line, the possibility of such victims cannot be ruled out from the combat mission because the North Korean military's combat capabilities have not yet been verified, and there are communication problems with Russia and fighting in an unfamiliar environment.

[Anchor]
North Korea's representative special operations officer who is staying in Russia. What kind of person is Kim Young-bok, who is in charge of the North Korean military, and what role will he play in the war?

[Park Won-gon]
According to what Kyodo News said on the 26th, Kim Young-bok entered Russia. On the premise of that, to say it is true, Kim Young-bok created the Special Operations Department in 2017 by expanding and reorganizing the Storm Corps, which I mentioned in 2016. That's when he took over as the first commander. At that time, the rank of brigadier general suddenly attracted attention because of the 2nd rank of lieutenant general or special promotion.

If so, it can be seen as a special commander with experience in commanding this special force, and if you look at Kim Young-bok recently, you can see that he continues to accompany Kim Jong-un as a very close aide. The characteristic of North Korea is that the class is important, but how close to Kim Jong-un is to perform, and in that respect, the images of Kim Jong-un have been confirmed several times.

In particular, in March, Kim Jong-un visited a private training base in the western part of the country, and he was shown receiving instructions right next to him, and for the first time, it was revealed that he was appointed deputy chief of the North Korean General Staff. So, I think I can see that he is a very important person, especially the part that he is trusted by Kim Jong-un.

[Anchor]
I think there's a reason why you sent your closest aide to a battleground, is there a special mission you'd expect?

[Park Won-gon]
It's still an area of estimation. As I said, we need to keep an eye on whether we will actually go to combat forces, but if the NIS's judgment is correct, isn't it saying that more than 10,000 people will be dispatched by the end of the year? That scale means that you have to maintain more than 10,000 people.

So if the battle starts, of course, there will be damage, and in the case of Kursk, which I mentioned earlier, more enormous damage can occur. If so, there may be a situation in which the North Korean military must continue to dispatch troops to make up for such damage after this.

In that sense, it is judged that Kim Jong-un's close aide, such as Kim Young-bok, is likely to serve as a manager in the whole. In addition, since North Korea and Russia have increased the degree of cooperation in a very large framework, it is also necessary for such close aides to go and oversee the whole thing. However, I don't think it's very likely that Kim Young-bok will go there and direct the battle himself.

[Anchor]
He said that he expects it to play a role in coordinating a little bit regarding additional dispatch. Now the government has said it will take a step-by-step response to North Korea. It could include providing weapons to Ukraine, but there are concerns that it could be a proxy war between the two Koreas, right?

[Park Won-gon]
What's important here is that we have to judge is the possibility of a certain level of mercenaries sent to Russia. In principle, the dispatch of mercenaries is to maintain the organization of the North Korean military and to conduct independent operations in the form of self-disclaiming that it is the North Korean military. I don't see any of that at the moment. It is known that they have entered the Russian military organization and are being commanded by Russian military uniforms. Then, it is judged that there is a possibility of a certain level of mercenary.

In this situation, the most important thing is how bad it is to our security, and if it certainly reaches this level of mercenaries, Russia can provide a lot of support to North Korea. Especially from our point of view, the most worrisome thing is the weapon system that we can provide to North Korea. For example, if we provide weapons systems like the S-300 anti-aircraft network MiG23 to North Korea, where conventional power is much inferior, of course, we still have strong conventional power.This could be an existential threat to us if we become a North Korea where conventional power is strengthened in addition to nuclear power.

In addition, as some say, this could pose a greater threat if Russia provides nuclear and missile technology. So what our government keeps saying is not that Korea will provide Ukraine with weapons of destruction, but that we should open up all options and review them according to this stage of Russia's actions.

It means that Russia should not provide such weapons to North Korea. But if we get really close in this way, we also have a direct threat to our security, so we need to open up all possibilities and respond to this.

[Anchor]
I looked into North Korea's dispatch of troops to Russia with Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University. Let's stop here. Thank you, professor.

[Park Won-gon]
Thank you.