KIM Jong-un could be readying 100,000 troops to help pal Vladimir Putin’s stalling war in Ukraine.
The North Korean despot has already sent 10,000 of his soldiers to be flung into the battleground as Putin looks to claw back Kursk
Kim Jong-un, centre, with his troops in North Korea[/caption]
Leaked footage shows the North Koreans training in Russia[/caption]
Putin and Kim pictured in Pyongyang in June[/caption]
Despite warnings his troops could be used as “human shields”, Kim could be prepared to deploy as many as 100,000 more to help flailing Putin‘s army, sources say.
Putin and Kim have been cosying up on the world stage – and insiders believe if their ties deepen, Pyongyang could be prepared to aid Vlad more.
Sources familiar with assessments made by some Group of 20 nations say North Korea may dispatch as many as 100,000 troops, Bloomberg reports.
Batches of troops could be rotated over time rather than been hurled into the meatgrinder in a single deployment, it is understood.
Insiders said the move is not believed to be imminent – but the 100,000 figure indicates that Putin plans to continue the war for a long time.
Kim has already sent his Storm Corps, the country’s equivalent of special forces, to fight for Vlad.
The 10,000-strong force is set to be used on the battlefield in the coming days as the Russian tyrant aims to retake Kursk, seized by Ukraine in August.
It is understood Putin has amassed 40,000 of his own soldiers – bolstered by 10,000 North Korean troops – as he plots to attack Kursk.
A North Korean defector told The Sun that entire units of Kim’s soldiers could desert as soon they get to the frontline, however.
Hyun-Seung Lee, a soldier in the Kim army in the early 2000s, believes the troops are not ready for the frontline and will be used as “human shields” by Russian soldiers.
Questions have been raised about how well the Korean soldiers will fight having not seen combat since the Vietnam War and with the units armed, clothed, and run by the Russians.
Lee told The Sun the soldiers in North Korea will have been forced to go and they will be young, so they won’t be that committed to the fighting.
He said: “It will be individuals at first, but more like as time passes, I think there’ll be like a larger number of group defections, including officers.”
That’s because, Lee says, the Russians will likely treat them as “expendable” and even more poorly than their own troops.
He said: “Russian soldiers don’t respect them as their fellow warriors.
“They will treat them as their human shields.”
It comes as Joe Biden last night gave his blessing for US-made missiles to be used to strike inside Russia.
Outgoing US President Biden’s sudden decision could see long-range missiles used initially in the Kursk region within days.
The first strikes will likely be carried out using the American ATACMS rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles, sources say.
America’s ban lift could see Sir Keir Starmer also let Zelensky use UK Storm Shadow rockets to hit targets.
Putin previously said any such decision would drag Nato into direct conflict with Russia.
Kim at the 4th Battalion Commander and Battalion Political Instructors Conference of the Korean People’s Army in Pyongyang today[/caption]
Russian army’s multiple rocket launcher Solntsepyok fires towards Ukrainian positions in the border area of Kursk region[/caption]