Reports surfaced on Monday indicating that within North Korea, fatalities among troops sent to Russia, including disappearances, are treated as mercenary deaths and handled with strict confidentiality.
The North Korea-focused Daily NK cited an anonymous source on Saturday familiar with the Storm Corps (11th Corps) dispatched to Russia. The source revealed that an internal directive has been issued to handle such deaths quietly and by military procedures.
The source explained, “Even deaths during training are dealt with by burying or cremating the body in the mountains near the unit. A death notification is then sent to the deceased soldier’s hometown. For deployments abroad, the protocol is the same.” The source emphasized that very little information is given to families, and the general policy is to ensure that the public remains unaware of these incidents.
The report added that soldiers who are injured to the point of being unable to fight are not treated locally but instead repatriated to North Korea. “To the North Korean authorities, soldiers are valuable as long as they can fight for the regime and generate income. Once injured or killed, they are immediately deemed useless,” the source stated.
Concerns have emerged within North Korea that the Storm Corps, a unit specializing in simulating strikes against South Korea, may have been deployed to Russia as part of a broader strategy aimed at South Korea. The source added that the unit underwent extensive training before deployment, including sniper exercises. The training reportedly also involved simulating the destruction of South Korean media outlets like KBS, followed by raising the North Korean flag and broadcasting propaganda to disrupt the country.
The Storm Corps is composed of elite soldiers selected after rigorous evaluations of physical strength, loyalty, and mental fortitude. They undergo intense training and, depending on their unit, are required to serve for 10 to 13 years.
North Korean authorities have not publicly acknowledged the deployment, and there has been no coverage in state-run media such as Rodong Sinmun. It is expected that the regime will suppress any information about fatalities, with severe consequences for those involved if such details are leaked, including potential executions.