North Korea sends mystery general to lead its troops in Russia – WSJ

North Korea has sent Colonel General Kim Yong Bok to lead the North Korean troops in Russia. This general is one of the ten most important military figures in North Korea and often acts as an aide to Kim Jong Un.

Source: The Wall Street Journal 

Quote from WSJ: "Col. Gen. Kim Yong Bok was rarely seen—or even mentioned—in public. His role leading North Korea’s special forces required him to keep a low profile to conceal his identity. But now he is a very public figure. 

He is the top North Korean military official in Russia, where more than 11,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to aid Moscow’s efforts to dislodge Ukrainian troops who have seized a chunk of Russian territory."

Details: Officials in Kyiv and Seoul have reportedly confirmed Colonel General Kim’s presence in Russia.

Formally, Kim Yong Bok is believed to be tasked with integrating North Korean troops with Russian troops, learning from the experience of combat operations to bring it back home, and preparing for future deployments.

Colonel General Kim is not expected to participate in the Russian war against Ukraine. However, the deployment of one of North Korea's most important military officials shows Pyongyang is interested in assisting Russia by the end of next year.

North Korea stopped concealing the part played by Colonel General Kim after Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang in June when the two countries agreed on a mutual defence pact.

Colonel General Kim became an aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. They visited the flood-affected areas and observed special forces training and artillery exercises.

The last mention of Colonel General Kim in North Korean state media was on 6 October.

A few days later, he was believed to have travelled to Russia with the first batch of North Korean troops.

For reference: Colonel General Kim remained in the dark for most of his career. The government's database of elite North Koreans, which includes more than 680 officials and is based on intelligence from South Korea's spy agency and publicly available information, lists only his name and position. His age, hometown, or any other biographical information are still unknown.

In March, it became known about his current role being the third in command in the North Korean army. This general is one of the ten most important military figures in North Korea.

Ukrainian and South Korean officials report that Colonel General Kim was among approximately 500 North Korean officers sent to Russia.

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