It would be good if alt media were to grow up in sophistication, breadth of perception, everything.
For all that we are on the 'right' side: i.e. we realise that usa is hopelessly corrupt, as is Kiev as is Tel Aviv and everything from covid to 9/11 is a lie - we still operate on a shallow, naive and insubstantial level.
We are not helping much, we are not discovering/revealing much, we are not trying very hard.
I wouldn't be surprised if western media reported that Russia is bringing in a martian army from a very distant planet to help them defeat the mighty Ukrainian freedom fighters.
South Korea intelligence agencies do have their secret sources. However, their records are not perfect, even about North Korea. We merely have to reason on the possibilities. North Koreans stationed in Russia would eat Russia food (big issue in NK), paid by Russians either as factory crew, construction/clearing crews (note the mines) or even near combat zones (constructing new defense work at newly acquired lands). They would be eating better than working inside NK and earning foreign exchange for NK. I had the impression that at the start of SMO, there had been rumors of a large number of North Koreans to work in Siberia, from factories to forests, to replace able-bodied men there. This gives Russian leaders an option to not mobilize the two largest metropolitan areas in Russia. In comparison, China's northeast, usually called Manchuria by westerners, had seen persistent population flow south since early 1980 when China's coastal areas started to see booming consumer industry productions. Chinese government would have a hard time to recruit workers to work in Siberia. China's contributions to SMO are likely in machine tools, NC milling/drilling machines, subassemblies, personal equipment and clothing. It is better not to trust China on military rations.
As for special forces and giving some officers experiences in live fire, it is a given. A front-line reporter does not gain as much insight into real war because they are not holding guns and being shot at, let alone getting involved in a firefight. But no training is more realistic than a real fight. The same can be said about the special forces from all Western countries. I think SF from SK and Japan are also there. Even Taiwan may have sent in people to learn drone operations in real life. If they don't do so, it would be an outright dereliction of duty for any top military leaders in these countries (both camps).
For example, a defector can tell the media that his neighbor's son who is in the conscription army has been shipped overseas, etc. It is rumored that there are channels between NK and China, where some folks can buy their way out (into China). There are quite a few such colonies in China. Since they are illegal aliens in China, such "defectors" have fairly tightly-knit inter-personal relationship and it is difficult for SK agents to penetrate. but knowing the language and culture does allow SK some advantage. And there are also people who cannot endure the outside world and sneak back in, very few though. China's agents also try to extract information from these "defectors". SK also have some factories in northeast China.
Come now, let’s be serious. A translation app? In a warzone where there’s often no power? Where life and death often depend on following orders quickly and precisely? I think it’s far more likely the story was made up.
I am serious. Read my other comment where I cast doubt on there being any NK personnel in combat roles, but where observers could quite possibly be there in rear areas, or even at artillery fire positions. You do realize you can charge a phone in a vehicle right? I'm sure if there are observers they'd have access to a vehicle. Or they could just speak English, which I'm sure is part of officer training in both armed forces.
Combat engineers doing de-mining or clearing right behind front-line is not that difficult with interpreters. For special forces, they have to be trained in Russian language. US Green Berets are routinely trained with foreign languages. When Taiwan sends a couple of junior officers to US Ranger camp each year, they were trained in English beforehand. US Ranger school does not bother to provide interpreters.
Not buying it. One of the big problems in the recent NATO war game in Poland was… Language. Despite the fact that everyone there is supposed to speak English.
I think it’s far more likely that they saw some Buriat troops or other Korean looking Russians, and spun a little tale, because it’s the kind of cartoonish “axis of evil” stuff the intelligence community loves.
Soldiers from Russian central Asia indeed can look quite different, old WW2 movies clearly showed that. If they caught a photo of one Asian looking guy and claimed as evidence, I would give them at least some partial credits. However, if this was propaganda to begin with, then no evidence is necessary. By the way, during WW2, CAF communication with the flying tigers were all in English. By the end of WW2, there has been one mixed CAF and USAF ground attack wing. most CAF pilots there spoke English (many of them trained in Ledo, India by USAF, but they had to learn English first to receive training) and some USAF pilots spoke Chinese (once you are in the environment, it is not that hard to pick up)
I wonder you may have focused too much on actions of trench storming and assault actions. That would be indeed very hard with mixed languages. But combat engineers working a few miles behind the line, digging trenches, de-mining, and building rail roads do not need that kind of language proficiency for the rank and file. Only the top officers need the language ability or translator. Russian may be the main foreign language taught in NK schools, but I don't know that for sure.
It wouldn't surprise me if NK officers were there as observers, but men under arms? Unlikely. Why put them at risk when there's no lack of trained Russian soldiers available? This is just another Kiev fairy tale IMO.
Rumor or true ? Would be a good idea if North Korea send 10.000 soldiers and military equipment and China send 50.000 plus military equipment and Russia escalate their military presence to. So they once and for all can throw NATO USA EU out of Ukraine and get rid of the warmongering coke wreak Zelensky and stop the war
There may be yet another reason, South Korea's fast military stocks.
I was rather surprised that several channels recently started to talk about the fast amount of military equipment that is being stored in South Korea. Some of them openly suggest to ship those weapons to Ukraine. But now this media campaign makes sense.
The meme that North Korea is fighting in Ukraine could provide the perfect excuse for Seoul to transfer more military aid to Kiev - Fighting Pyongyang by proxy thousands of miles away.
It would be good if alt media were to grow up in sophistication, breadth of perception, everything.
For all that we are on the 'right' side: i.e. we realise that usa is hopelessly corrupt, as is Kiev as is Tel Aviv and everything from covid to 9/11 is a lie - we still operate on a shallow, naive and insubstantial level.
We are not helping much, we are not discovering/revealing much, we are not trying very hard.
I wouldn't be surprised if western media reported that Russia is bringing in a martian army from a very distant planet to help them defeat the mighty Ukrainian freedom fighters.
South Korea intelligence agencies do have their secret sources. However, their records are not perfect, even about North Korea. We merely have to reason on the possibilities. North Koreans stationed in Russia would eat Russia food (big issue in NK), paid by Russians either as factory crew, construction/clearing crews (note the mines) or even near combat zones (constructing new defense work at newly acquired lands). They would be eating better than working inside NK and earning foreign exchange for NK. I had the impression that at the start of SMO, there had been rumors of a large number of North Koreans to work in Siberia, from factories to forests, to replace able-bodied men there. This gives Russian leaders an option to not mobilize the two largest metropolitan areas in Russia. In comparison, China's northeast, usually called Manchuria by westerners, had seen persistent population flow south since early 1980 when China's coastal areas started to see booming consumer industry productions. Chinese government would have a hard time to recruit workers to work in Siberia. China's contributions to SMO are likely in machine tools, NC milling/drilling machines, subassemblies, personal equipment and clothing. It is better not to trust China on military rations.
As for special forces and giving some officers experiences in live fire, it is a given. A front-line reporter does not gain as much insight into real war because they are not holding guns and being shot at, let alone getting involved in a firefight. But no training is more realistic than a real fight. The same can be said about the special forces from all Western countries. I think SF from SK and Japan are also there. Even Taiwan may have sent in people to learn drone operations in real life. If they don't do so, it would be an outright dereliction of duty for any top military leaders in these countries (both camps).
SK sources often just make things up.
While there may be observers from NK, it’s nonsensical to think that there are actual troops there. How would they even communicate?
Because they want to get some money from US NGO funds. Anti-communism is a semi-lucrative business to extract US foreign aids.
For example, a defector can tell the media that his neighbor's son who is in the conscription army has been shipped overseas, etc. It is rumored that there are channels between NK and China, where some folks can buy their way out (into China). There are quite a few such colonies in China. Since they are illegal aliens in China, such "defectors" have fairly tightly-knit inter-personal relationship and it is difficult for SK agents to penetrate. but knowing the language and culture does allow SK some advantage. And there are also people who cannot endure the outside world and sneak back in, very few though. China's agents also try to extract information from these "defectors". SK also have some factories in northeast China.
No, I meant how would NK soldiers communicate with Russian officers? Or NK Officers communicate with Russian units.
There are plenty of NL in Russia working as laborers etc, but NK troops in Ukraine is just silly.
"No, I meant how would NK soldiers communicate with Russian officers? Or NK Officers communicate with Russian units."
Maybe a translator app on their cell phone?
Come now, let’s be serious. A translation app? In a warzone where there’s often no power? Where life and death often depend on following orders quickly and precisely? I think it’s far more likely the story was made up.
I am serious. Read my other comment where I cast doubt on there being any NK personnel in combat roles, but where observers could quite possibly be there in rear areas, or even at artillery fire positions. You do realize you can charge a phone in a vehicle right? I'm sure if there are observers they'd have access to a vehicle. Or they could just speak English, which I'm sure is part of officer training in both armed forces.
Combat engineers doing de-mining or clearing right behind front-line is not that difficult with interpreters. For special forces, they have to be trained in Russian language. US Green Berets are routinely trained with foreign languages. When Taiwan sends a couple of junior officers to US Ranger camp each year, they were trained in English beforehand. US Ranger school does not bother to provide interpreters.
Not buying it. One of the big problems in the recent NATO war game in Poland was… Language. Despite the fact that everyone there is supposed to speak English.
I think it’s far more likely that they saw some Buriat troops or other Korean looking Russians, and spun a little tale, because it’s the kind of cartoonish “axis of evil” stuff the intelligence community loves.
Soldiers from Russian central Asia indeed can look quite different, old WW2 movies clearly showed that. If they caught a photo of one Asian looking guy and claimed as evidence, I would give them at least some partial credits. However, if this was propaganda to begin with, then no evidence is necessary. By the way, during WW2, CAF communication with the flying tigers were all in English. By the end of WW2, there has been one mixed CAF and USAF ground attack wing. most CAF pilots there spoke English (many of them trained in Ledo, India by USAF, but they had to learn English first to receive training) and some USAF pilots spoke Chinese (once you are in the environment, it is not that hard to pick up)
I wonder you may have focused too much on actions of trench storming and assault actions. That would be indeed very hard with mixed languages. But combat engineers working a few miles behind the line, digging trenches, de-mining, and building rail roads do not need that kind of language proficiency for the rank and file. Only the top officers need the language ability or translator. Russian may be the main foreign language taught in NK schools, but I don't know that for sure.
The reason for the reports is to furnish an excuse for NATO escalation.
Have you had any updates about this? I see lately that Russia won't say one way or the other.
It wouldn't surprise me if NK officers were there as observers, but men under arms? Unlikely. Why put them at risk when there's no lack of trained Russian soldiers available? This is just another Kiev fairy tale IMO.
Rumor or true ? Would be a good idea if North Korea send 10.000 soldiers and military equipment and China send 50.000 plus military equipment and Russia escalate their military presence to. So they once and for all can throw NATO USA EU out of Ukraine and get rid of the warmongering coke wreak Zelensky and stop the war
Ukraine & the truth, just do not happen together surely any rationally thinking person knows this by now
There may be yet another reason, South Korea's fast military stocks.
I was rather surprised that several channels recently started to talk about the fast amount of military equipment that is being stored in South Korea. Some of them openly suggest to ship those weapons to Ukraine. But now this media campaign makes sense.
The meme that North Korea is fighting in Ukraine could provide the perfect excuse for Seoul to transfer more military aid to Kiev - Fighting Pyongyang by proxy thousands of miles away.