North Korea sent not only regular soldiers and officers to Russia but also high-ranking generals. One of them turned out to be the mysterious Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Kim Yong Bok, The Wall Street Journal informs.
According to the media outlet, Ukrainian and South Korean officials confirmed Colonel General Kim Yong Bok’s presence in Russia.
According to WSJ, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) is likely to be responsible for coordinating North Korean soldiers with Russian forces and ensuring that the troops gain combat experience.
At the same time, the North Korean Colonel General is unlikely to participate in combat operations.
Journalists believe that the deployment of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the KPA to Russia signals Pyongyang’s interest in assisting Moscow over the next year.
WSJ writes that until recently, very little was known about Kim Yong Bok, as he commanded a special forces unit of the DPRK. The unit was considered the largest in the world, with around 200,000 personnel.
This unit was supposed to carry out secret missions in the event of war on the Korean Peninsula, according to Jeon Kyung-joo, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis.
However, the North Korean general “emerged from the shadows” after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea in June when the two countries agreed to sign treaties on a comprehensive strategic partnership. Since then, Kim Yong Bok has also become a frequent aide to Kim Jong Un.
Experts on North Korea note that Kim Yong Bok is now among the top ten most important military figures in North Korea, and his successful work in Russia could propel him further up the ranks.
It should be noted that on October 31, Reuters reported that alongside regular North Korean soldiers, Pyongyang sent three generals to Russia. One of them was Kim Yong Bok.
At the time, Michael Madden, an expert on North Korean leadership from the Stimson Center, based in the US, suggested that Kim Yong Bok might transfer command of North Korean soldiers in Russia to another general.
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