After North Korea initially dispatched thousands of troops to join Russia's war effort against Ukraine late last year, the initial reports highlighted how inexperienced the soldiers were. Now, a report from the Wall Street Journal indicates their tactical awareness has greatly improved thanks to the combat experience they've gained—"skills [that] can now be taken home and spread throughout the country's massive army." The paper reports the North Korean troops' response to drones is one clear example of their increased sophistication: Initially unaware of what they were or that they were a threat, the soldiers would stare at them in the sky; they've since learned how to avoid them or even take them out, in some instances using a single soldier to bait it as others then try to shoot it down.
A drone detector has been found in the possession of at least one North Korean soldier; that's a device Russians use to detect, then avoid, drones. "It is unlikely [Kim Jong Un's] troops knew how to use the technology when they were deployed to the battlefield in mid-December," per the Journal, which notes Ukrainian soldiers and analysts say that North Korean soldiers are evolving into "the most valuable on the battlefield," citing their skills improvement along with their willingness to continue advancing full force even when under heavy fire.
That's been the case since the beginning, when Ukrainian drones captured them advancing in the open without any artillery or armored vehicles providing backup, and continuing forward even as the men around them were wounded or killed. As a Ukrainian commander puts it, their apparent disregard for human life helps make them high-value soldiers. "They are better prepared psychologically and they are better prepared physically." (Read the full article, which describes a February attack that seemed to be typically Russian—but was carried out by North Koreans.)
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