Salary less than $2 jumps 1100 times
Most of the salary likely taken by authorities
Survival probability appears extremely low
Because Russian military uses foreigners as cannon fodder
Amid reports that North Korea has dispatched about 10,000 soldiers to Russia, it is known that the allowances these soldiers receive from the Russian government exceed 20 times North Korea's per capita income and 1,100 times their monthly salary. Even though they receive huge salaries, it is expected that the North Korean authorities will take the money rather than the soldiers or their families using it.
On the 21st (local time), according to foreign media including US CNN and Germany's Deutsche Welle, foreign-origin Russian soldiers reportedly receive monthly allowances of around $2,000 (about 2.76 million KRW). This amount is similar to the monthly salary of Russian native soldiers, known to be about 200,000 rubles (approximately 2.83 million KRW).
The Russian military also pays a 'lump sum' to newly enlisted soldiers, but foreigners receive much less than natives. A Sri Lankan-origin Russian soldier interviewed by Deutsche Welle stated, "I received $2,000 as a lump sum." Russian authorities pay native soldiers a lump sum of 1.9 million rubles (about 26.92 million KRW).
North Korean soldiers receiving supplies from Russia [Image source=Captured from SPRAVDI, Strategic Communication and Information Security Center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces]
Both the monthly salary and lump sum are unimaginably large sums for North Korean soldiers. As of last year, North Korea's nominal gross domestic income (GDI) per capita was around 1.59 million KRW, making it one of the poorest countries in the world.
The average annual salary of North Korean residents is not specifically known, but according to estimates based on testimonies from defectors collected by Radio Free Asia (RFA) earlier this year, the average monthly wage of factory workers is about 2,500 KRW (1.81 USD). In other words, based on worker wages, the monthly salary of North Korean soldiers deployed to the Ukrainian front increases by about 1,104 times.
Currently, even by Russian standards, soldiers' monthly salaries are very high. Military salaries are set at about three times the average income of typical Russian workers. Thanks to this, young people from the outskirts of Moscow, foreign workers from poor countries, and mercenaries are reportedly voluntarily enlisting.
Military parade of the North Korean army held earlier this year at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang. [Image source=Yonhap News]
However, experts analyze that their chances of survival are not very high. The British political and economic magazine The Economist reported the Ukrainian intelligence agency's opinion that the Russian military is effectively using foreign soldiers as 'cannon fodder,' stating, "A significant number of foreign recruits die on the battlefield, and the Russian military deliberately sends (foreign soldiers) first to confirm the positions of Ukrainian forces."
Meanwhile, the National Intelligence Service announced on the 18th that North Korea plans to dispatch 12,000 troops to the Ukrainian front. It is reported that this force includes 1,500 members of North Korea's special forces unit, the 'Pokpung Gun-dan' (Storm Corps).
However, the US government has not yet confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops and maintains that investigations are ongoing. John Kirby, White House National Security Communications Coordinator, responded to questions about North Korea's deployment during an online briefing the previous day, saying, "If it is true that North Korean soldiers are going to Ukraine, it is a dangerous and very concerning situation," and added, "We are consulting with allies and partners and plan to clarify this issue within a few days."
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