North Korean troops in Russia to be led by secrecy-shrouded general close to Kim Jong Un, WSJ reports

Colonel General Kim Yong Bok, one of the generals accompanying North Korean troops in Russia, is a mystery-shrouded figure close to dictator Kim Jong Un, The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 20.

Kim Yong Bok, officially the Deputy Chief of the Army General Staff, is expected to oversee the integration of North Korean troops into Russian forces, gain combat experience, and establish a framework for future deployments, the outlet reports.

A Ukrainian envoy listed him, along with Major General Sin Kum Cheol and Colonel General Ri Chang Ho, during a U.N. Security Council meeting on Oct. 30 as one of the generals commanding some over 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia.

Kim’s role in Pyongyang’s military has long been shrouded in secrecy. He previously commanded a special forces unit of 200,000 soldiers tasked with covert missions on the Korean Peninsula. His profile was elevated after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea in June, with reports identifying him as the No. 3 figure in the Korean People's Army, according to the Wall Street Journal's reporting.

In July 2020, Kim was seen alongside Kim Jong Un at a ceremony honoring military officials but largely disappeared from public view until recently.

This deployment coincides with North Korea’s formalized mutual defense treaty with Russia, announced on Nov. 12. The agreement obligates the nations to assist each other in the event of an armed attack.

The development follows reports of initial clashes between Ukrainian forces and North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. The Western countries denounced the deployment of North Korean troops as an escalation, with the U.S. reportedly responding by permitting Ukraine to launch ATACMS missiles against Russian and North Korean troops amassing in the region.

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The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova