• The US says North Korean troops are in Russia, possibly heading to war in Ukraine.
• The soldiers face strict measures to prevent their desertion, North Korean experts say.
• The country uses a rigid system and family hostages to ensure loyalty.

Any North Korean troops sent to fight in Ukraine will be subject to harsh measures to ensure they do not desert, observers have told Business Insider.

There are increasing reports of a massive North Korean deployment in support of Russian forces.

On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said there is “evidence” that North Korean troops are training in Russia.

Scattered reports say smaller numbers of North Korean troops are already in Ukraine.

Ukrainian media Suspilne and Hromadske reported some early desertions, citing anonymous sources.

Business Insider could not independently confirm the reports and Ukraine’s military defense agency did not respond to a request for comment.

A tight belt

Deploying large numbers of troops abroad is risky for Kim Jong Un, who oversees a totalitarian state that rarely releases people.

But the reward for working with Russia is great: technological advances and aid for North Korea’s cash-strapped economy.

Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., an expert on North Korean defense at the Center for International and Strategic Studies, told BI that those sent abroad would quickly realize that even a life of poverty in Russia and Ukraine would be better is then home.

“It is difficult to imagine how tightly controlled North Korean society is,” he said.

North Korea maintains a complex social hierarchy in which citizens are tracked and classified based on perceived loyalty. It is often inherited from the actions of parents or even grandparents and is in fact described as a form of caste system.

According to a seminal work on the subject by Robert Collins, an expert on North Korean security, only those classified as the most loyal can become military officers.

Bermudez said Kim would likely send only “politically reliable people” to fight.

Those sent to help Russia will likely be accompanied by officials from Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, he said, adding: “They are filing reports on everyone.”

‘Do they drink too much? Are they trying to get goods that they can’t get in North Korea and send home?” he said.

Bermudez said they would most likely also have to undergo self-criticism sessions – an intense group practice where you confess your shortcomings.

He said they might berate themselves by saying something like, “I didn’t think about the Kim family 20 times today. I only did 15.”

Soldiers would be sent to a re-indoctrination camp upon their return to North Korea to reaffirm their loyalty, he added.

Those who returned would likely be honored and given greater privileges, such as a better job. Bermudez said families of those who die in battle also receive immense social respect and benefits.

The North Korean state has also tougher means to control its citizens abroad.

Bruce W. Bennett, a defense researcher and North Korea specialist at RAND, said those who leave, such as diplomats, are almost never allowed to take their entire families with them.

“It is very typical of the Kims to insist that at least one member of a family operating abroad remain in Pyongyang as a hostage,” he told BI.

And anyone who defects makes their entire family suffer, Bermudez said, adding: “North Korea believes in generational punishment.”

In interviews with refugees and defectors, he said, “One of the biggest concerns they have is that they have left their families.”

That’s because their extended family would most likely be sent to brutal labor camps — described by Bermudez as similar to a Nazi labor camp or a Soviet gulag.

An opportunity for the West?

Kim does “Terrified” that information will be brought back to North Korea from abroad, Bennett said.

The leader is turning against the culture of the outside world — in 2021, for example, he called K-Pop a “vicious cancer” — because he sees it as a major threat, Bennett said.

An investigation in The National Interest earlier this year found that South Korea in particular is well positioned to exploit this fear.

Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong, who has been called his de facto second-in-command, lashed out at both Ukraine and South Korea on Tuesday, likening them to “evil dogs bred by the US.”

Bennett said the presence of North Korean troops in Ukraine could provide a rare opportunity to reach high-ranking North Korean citizens.

“The question we ultimately have to ask is: why aren’t the US and Western countries trying to use this situation more to our advantage?” he said.

Correction: October 24, 2024 – An earlier version of this story misstated the name of the author of the seminal work on North Korea’s social hierarchy. It’s Robert Collins, not Mark Collins.