Jong-un sent one of the highest-ranking generals to command the North Korean soldiers in Russia.

North Korea has sent the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the DPRK Ground Forces, Colonel-General Kim Yong-bok, to Russia, according to senior Ukrainian and South Korean officials.

It's expected, that the general will be engaged in the integration of North Korean troops into the Russian army, as well as collecting information from the battlefield for the possible future deployment of North Korean soldiers. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the number of North Korean soldiers sent to Russia could eventually reach 100.000 people. It is assumed that Kim Yong-bok will not take part in hostilities.

Previously, this general was a non-public person, as he commanded a special forces unit of about 200.000 people, which was supposed to carry out secret missions in the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula, said Chung Kyung-joo, a researcher at the South Korean Institute for Defense Analysis. Only after Putin's visit to Pyongyang, Kim Yong-bok began to appear in public more often. The leadership of the DPRK took this step to demonstrate to Russia that a reliable person was sent to the front.

"Up until this point, there were more reasons to hide his identity."

General Kim Yong Bok has long remained in the shadows throughout his career. The South Korean government's database of high-ranking North Koreans, which includes information on more than 680 officials, lists only his name and title. His age, hometown and other biographical data are still unknown.

This contrasts with the attention that is usually given to North Korea's military elites in its state media. Kim Jong-un's public appearances, which dominate all media, are often accompanied by a show of the top military command.

According to the US State Department, the combat experience of North Korean soldiers will help the DPRK update its military tactics by observing how modern warfare is fought. Russian troops have trained North Korean soldiers in key front-line skills such as artillery, trench clearing and drone handling. South Korean intelligence also reported that Moscow pays Pyongyang $ 2.000 for each soldier, which is equivalent to 83 annual salaries of an ordinary citizen of North Korea.

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