Read a version of this story in Korean
North Koreans are questioning why the country’s soldiers are being sent to Russia to fight against Ukraine when they have been told all their lives that their main enemy is the United States, residents told Radio Free Asia.
The Pentagon and South Korean intelligence estimate that Pyongyang has deployed around 12,000 troops to Russia, but Pyongyang and Moscow have not openly acknowledged this, and there is no news of it in state media.
But by now, most people have learned about the deployment by word of mouth as news has trickled into the country from North Koreans working in China or other countries.
The news has puzzled North Koreans, who are discreetly discussing it among themselves, source say.
One resident of the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA Korean that he recently talked about it with two friends.
“We reasoned that if they had been dispatched to Russia then they must be fighting Ukraine, but why should we be fighting Ukraine? That was the main point of our discussion,” he said.
Enemy #1
From an early age, North Koreans are taught that the United States is its main enemy -- and South Korea is close behind because it is a “puppet” of Washington.
North Korean propaganda blames the United States for dividing Korea after World War II and starting the 1950-53 Korean War -- both of which are inaccurate in the view of most historians.
RELATED STORIES
North Korean soldier captured by Ukraine says he ‘didn’t know’ who he was fighting
North Korea grants party membership to its fallen soldiers in Ukraine war
Is a video of a North Korean soldier captured by Ukraine digitally altered?
Although prior to the end of World War II, Washington did propose the 38th parallel as the divider between U.S. and Soviet zones to accept the eventual surrender of former colonizer Japan, it was never intended to be a permanent national border.
And while there were frequent skirmishes between North and South Korean forces in the years prior to the Korean War, most historians agree that it was the North who invaded the South in 1950.
Today, North Korea’s many economic woes are also blamed on U.S. sanctions, which have been imposed over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. The United Nations also has put sanctions on the country.
“The authorities are always trying to make us hate America, saying that they are our bitter enemies with whom we cannot share the same sky,” the resident said.
“But now that our soldiers have gone to war against Ukraine, people are wondering why we are fighting Ukraine instead of America,” he said.
‘Why do we have a new enemy?’
Similar secret discussions are going on all over the country, including in the northern province of Ryanggang, a resident there told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.
“If you look at recent newspapers and broadcasts, they say that Ukraine is a puppet government,” he said. “I am curious why the authorities are suddenly calling Ukraine a puppet and when did Ukraine become our enemy?”
He said authorities still emphasize that the United States is enemy #1.
“According to their logic, our soldiers should only be sent into battle to fight the Americans, but in reality they are covering up that we’re fighting against Ukraine,” he said. “I don’t understand.”
The fact that these soldiers are fighting an enemy other than the United States or South Korea is making people question if Washington really is the main foe, the Ryanggang resident said.
“Who is our enemy? Why do we have a new enemy?” he asked. “This confrontational view toward the Americans -- which the authorities have attempted to instill in the people -- is wavering.”
Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.