North Korean troops falter in Kursk despite superior arms
The spokesperson for Ukraine's Special Operations, Col. Oleksandr Kindratenko, confirmed in an interview with the American magazine "Newsweek" that North Korean soldiers sent to the Kursk region faced defeat, and the survivors were likely withdrawn from the battlefield. This occurred despite their having better equipment than initially expected.
Kindratenko stated that during the clashes, Ukrainians managed to eliminate or capture both many rank-and-file soldiers and some higher-ranking officers from Kim Jong Un's army. This confirms earlier reports from Ukrainian war correspondents covering the situation in the Kursk region. What stands out is the equipment of the Koreans.
Better equipped than the Russians
In his conversation with "Newsweek," Kindratenko noted that the gear found with the North Korean soldiers indicates they were often better armed than Russian forces.
Almost all the North Koreans fighting in the Kursk region had modernized versions of standard Russian weapons. Instead of the AK-47, they used newer AK-12 rifles. Additionally, they reportedly had over three times more ammunition magazines than the average Russian soldier, along with larger reserves of grenades. Some North Koreans even had two automatic weapons, including the AK-12 and the Vepr-12.
Kindratenko also added that footage from Ukrainian reconnaissance drones showed a "significant number of anti-tank grenade launchers" being fired by forces sent to Russia from Pyongyang.
Why were the Koreans withdrawn from the Kursk region?
"Newsweek" noted that at the time of the North Korean soldiers' arrival in the Kursk region, some labeled them as "cannon fodder," but some Ukrainian sources indicated that they were disciplined and proficient with weapons.
The main reasons for the Koreans' failure, according to Kindratenko, include a lack of proper coordination with Russian units and limited experience in the "drone warfare" involving unmanned aerial vehicles that have dominated the Ukrainian-Russian conflict.
According to Kindratenko, North Korean soldiers may return to fight after appropriate reinforcements and possibly after additional training.
