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Alessandro Arduino

Intelligence reports from Ukraine and South Korea reveal that initial accounts dismissing North Korean special forces as ineffective in the Russian war effort were premature.
Far from the caricatures of malnourished soldiers distracted by online pornography, these troops have shown remarkable combat proficiency and unyielding ideological discipline – qualities that have not gone unnoticed by Chinese military analysts.
North Korean soldiers may be experts in small arms and close-quarters combat, but the vast plains of Russia demand skills they’ve not yet mastered. Trench warfare and drone countermeasures remain tactical weak points. Still, war is an unforgiving teacher. These soldiers are adapting quickly – or dying trying.
What most sets them apart, though, is their rigid ideological discipline, a trait that distinguishes them from the often disorganised and demoralised ranks of Russian troops and Wagner mercenaries. This is precisely what has piqued Beijing’s interest.

Rumours are already swirling among Chinese private security contractors. Some see North Korean veterans as a potential gold mine – politically reliable, battle-hardened, and willing to take extreme actions, including suicide by grenade to avoid capture. Such discipline is rare in the private military and mercenary world, where loyalty often follows the highest bidder. To date, only two North Korean soldiers have been captured alive by Ukrainian forces.
For China, this raises an intriguing possibility: could North Korean veterans become a new model for private security forces? To date, Chinese private security companies protecting Belt and Road Initiative projects have struggled to find an effective approach. Western and Russian contractors have offered pay-per-use security models with inconsistent results. North Korean veterans, with their ideological conditioning and low-cost services, could be a disruptive force in the sector.
Could North Korean veterans become a new model for private security forces?
 
But the whispers of opportunity contrast sharply with the dominant narrative on Weibo, a leading Chinese microblogging platform. Public sentiment there is overwhelmingly sceptical about North Korea’s battlefield contributions. Military microbloggers ridicule the soldiers for “poor performance” and accuse them of theft and other crimes. Pro-Russian commentators, meanwhile, sidestep the issue entirely, deflecting what they consider “false accusations” from the West with claims that the North Koreans captured by Ukraine are actually Russian fighters from Tuva.
China’s caution regarding privatising the use of force can be seen in the reforms it passed in June last year tightening regulations on its private security sector, offering clearer guidelines for domestic operations but leaving gaps in areas such as weapons handling for overseas deployments. As a result, Chinese private security companies operating abroad rely on local armed personnel for protection, effectively functioning as unarmed managers. The prospect of deploying North Korean veterans, however, could change this equation.
The North Koreans’ combat experience – honed in the trenches of Kursk – make them uniquely attractive. They bring skills in martial arts and small-unit tactics that are often overlooked but highly prized by Chinese security firms. Some are even fluent in Mandarin, eliminating a critical language barrier in international operations.

Kim Jong-un’s decision to dispatch troops to Russia was a calculated risk, one that caught Beijing off guard. But for Pyongyang, the gamble is paying off. By aligning more closely with Moscow, North Korea is reaping significant strategic rewards. The war in Ukraine has given its military an unparalleled opportunity to test weapons and tactics in a modern conflict – something South Korea hasn’t done since 1953.
North Korean forces are gaining valuable experience, particularly in countering drones, an area where Ukraine’s military is a world leader. Pyongyang is also seizing the chance to refine its ballistic missile systems, such as the KN-23 and KN-24, in real combat conditions. The data gathered will not only enhance North Korea’s military capabilities but also make its weapons more attractive on the global arms market.
But Pyongyang’s deepening military cooperation with Russia also creates headaches for Beijing. North Korea’s enhanced access to advanced Russian technology – including international ballistic missiles, reconnaissance satellites and nuclear submarines – could shift regional power dynamics in unpredictable ways. Vladimir Putin’s promise to assist North Korea in developing space and missile technologies marks a significant departure from Russia’s past restraint. This shift not only threatens the United States but also undermines China’s long-standing goal of managing North Korea’s military ambitions and denuclearising the Korean peninsula.
For years, Beijing was Pyongyang’s primary economic lifeline. But as Russian support grows, North Korea is gaining new leverage, reducing its dependence on China. For Beijing, that’s a troubling prospect.
The long-term implications of North Korea’s involvement in Ukraine are still unfolding. Once the war eventually ends, a new global threat could emerge: hundreds of battle-hardened North Korean and Russian soldiers entering the international mercenary market.
Much like the Scots and Swiss mercenaries of the Hundred Years’ War, their presence in conflicts across Africa and the Middle East could reshape the global security landscape – and the world may not be ready for the consequences.
Alessandro Arduino is an affiliate lecturer at the Lau China Institute, King’s College London, specialising in the convergence of technology innovation and national security.


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Forget tired caricatures of malnourished North Koreans distracted by online porn. In Kursk, they’ve proved to be deadly and disturbingly effective


Forget tired caricatures of malnourished North Koreans distracted by online porn. In Kursk, they’ve proved to be deadly and disturbingly effective.


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Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


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.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Forget tired caricatures of malnourished North Koreans distracted by online porn. In Kursk, they’ve proved to be deadly and disturbingly effective

Forget tired caricatures of malnourished North Koreans distracted by online porn. In Kursk, they’ve proved to be deadly and disturbingly effective