North Korea knows its troops could desert in Ukraine. It has chilling ways to keep them in line.

• The US says North Korean troops are successful Russia, perchance bound for nan warfare successful Ukraine.
• The soldiers look strict measures to forestall their desertion, North Korea experts told BI.
• The state uses a rigid strategy and family hostages to guarantee loyalty.

Any North Korean troops sent to conflict successful Ukraine would beryllium taxable to harsh measures to guarantee they don't desert, observers person told Business Insider.

There are increasing reports of a wide North Korean deployment successful support of Russian troops.

On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said "there is evidence" that North Korean troops were training successful Russia.

Scattered reports person claimed that smaller numbers of North Korean troops are already successful Ukraine.

Ukrainian outlets Suspilne and Hromadske reported immoderate early desertions, citing anonymous sources.

Business Insider could not independently corroborate nan reports, and Ukraine's military-defense agency did not respond to a petition for comment.

A tight leash

Committing ample numbers of troops overseas is risky for Kim Jong Un, who oversees a totalitarian authorities that seldom lets group out.

But nan prize for cooperating pinch Russia is awesome — technological advancement and thief for North Korea's cash-strapped economy.

Joseph S. Bermudez Jr, an master successful North Korean defense astatine nan Center for International and Strategic Studies, told BI that those sent overseas would quickly spot that moreover a life of poorness successful Russia and Ukraine is amended than what's astatine home.

"It's difficult to ideate really tightly controlled North Korean nine is," he said.

North Korea operates a analyzable societal level successful which citizens are tracked and classed according to perceived loyalty. It's often inherited from nan actions of your parents aliases moreover grandparents, and has been described arsenic efficaciously a shape of caste system.

According to a landmark work connected nan taxable by Mark Collins, an master connected North Korean security, only those classed arsenic astir loyal tin go service officers.

Kim is apt to only nonstop "politically reliable people" to fight, Bermudez said.

Those sent to assistance Russia are apt accompanied by officials from nan ruling Workers' Party of Korea, he added. "They record reports connected everybody."

"Are they drinking excessively much? Are they trying to get equipment that they can't get successful North Korea and nonstop them home?"

They're besides apt to person to acquisition self-criticism sessions, Bermudez said — an aggravated group believe of confessing one's shortcomings.

They mightiness berate themselves by saying thing like: "'I didn't deliberation of nan Kim family 20 times today," said Bermudez. "'I only did 15.'"

He said soldiers would beryllium sent to a re-indoctrination campy connected their return to North Korea to reaffirm their loyalty.

Those who return would apt beryllium honored and fixed greater privileges, specified arsenic a amended job. Families of those who dice successful conflict besides summation immense societal respect and advantages, he said.

The North Korean authorities besides has harsher means to support its citizens overseas successful check.

According to Bruce W. Bennett, a defense interrogator and North Korea master astatine RAND, those who leave, for illustration diplomats, are almost ne'er allowed to bring their full family pinch them.

"It is very emblematic for nan Kims to insist that astatine slightest 1 personnel of immoderate family operating overseas stay successful Pyongyang arsenic a hostage," he told BI.

And anyone who does defect ensures that their full family suffers, Bermudez said. "North Korea believes successful generational punishment."

In interviews pinch escapees and defectors, he said, "one of nan top sorrows that they person is that they've near family."

That's because their extended family would apt beryllium sent to sadistic activity camps — described by Bermudez described arsenic akin to a Nazi activity campy aliases a Soviet gulag.

An opportunity for nan West?

Kim is "scared to death" of accusation being brought backmost to North Korea from abroad, Bennett said.

The leader rails against civilization from nan extracurricular world — for illustration successful 2021, when he called K-Pop a "vicious cancer" — because he perceives it arsenic a awesome threat, Bennett said.

An earlier appraisal successful The National Interest based on that South Korea, successful particular, is well-positioned to utilization this anxiety.

On Tuesday, Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong, who has been called his de facto second-in-command, lashed out astatine some Ukraine and South Korea, comparing them to "bad dogs bred by nan US."

Bennett said that nan beingness of North Korean troops successful Ukraine could connection a uncommon opportunity to scope high-placed North Korean citizens.

"The mobility we've yet sewage to inquire is, why isn't nan US and nan Western countries trying to usage this business much to our advantage?" he said.