Language barrier isn't an impregnable obstacle. If the Party decides that its soldiers must learn Russian, they will. Talented ones will learn a lot faster than others and get sent to fight in Russia as a reward...
omfg lol no. You can't just "order" someone to learn Russian, it doesn't work like that. You might as well declare war on Neptune and have your troops attack the ocean.
Why not? Do you think North Koreans are unable to organize language classes with mandatory attendance if they thought it would help? With some actual Russian teachers provided by Russia? This is exactly how it works. And yes, Russian is a hard language, but some people learn languages a lot easier than others (me included, "tested" more than once with very different languages), so a 3-6 months intensive might be quite enough to facilitate basic military communications. Logically, I'd expect some percentage of north koreans to have as much or more "natural affinity" to learning languages as me (even despite having no previous "exposure" - I didn't have any exposure to Japanese either, but I didn't have much trouble learning some of it back in the day, even if I forgot all of it by now).
Generally, foreign students at Russian universities and trade schools take 2 academic years studying Russian, though I've met guys who did it in one. A person would have to be extremely fluent to understand a mission briefing. The whole idea is stupid. If they're sent in brigade-sized units then the language barrier matters a lot less.
But I don't really believe there are Koreans in the military zone at all, and that's not just something Ukraine made up to try to convince NATO to put boots on the ground.
2 years sounds about right to learn more or less "properly", for general purpose. Before Covid made everything go to hell, I spent 2 years learning Spanish (2 classes a week, with no other motivation than "because I could"), which, for me, was enough to travel in Spain and try reading some books (my classmates had it a lot harder while trying a lot harder too). Obviously, my Spanish level was still very low compared to my English (with which I have practice for most of my life), and even lower now (5 years of no practice later).
And, of course, I've no idea what military mission briefings are like, and actual experience is never like the classes (slang, accents and fast talking are real trouble). However, the most important things to "get started" are the correct vocabulary + a good grasp on grammar. The first is controllable (by teachers), the second greatly depends on the student (teaching them in masses and selecting best performers might work if you have enough "human material").
Anyway, regardless of how much time actual Korean soldiers need to learn enough Russian, each passing month is a month they can spend doing that, so if they set it as a goal - eventually the language barrier will fall. If they already did - it will fall faster.
It's anything else than as simple. Language barriers are a huge issue in operations of this kind, and there is simply no way to teach everybody involved, or at least those that matter, to speak Russian fluently enough to think, command and fight in it.
I'm not saying one can just take troops that are already there (selected by whatever criteria) and teach them all. However, one can decide to set "new standards", use them to prepare more troops at home specifically for this role, then pick those that excel in their studies, train them together (perhaps even together with some Russians, somewhere close to NK to be safe), then send them as a "new batch". It takes time, but North Koreans have time... the only question is - do they think they want / need it.
Volodymyr Yermolenko (president of Pen Ukraine) worried about the widening civilian-military divide also. He said that going back to a society of Cossacks (military), Bourgeois and Peasants as in parts of Ukraine's history isn't good, but admitted dealing with what's happening is tricky
It seems that not only previous rumours about Corps commanders were confirmed, but also new details came, besides Corps formed in NatGuard based on Azon and Khartia, and Corps based on 3rd Assault, 93th Assault, there would be one Corps based on 5th Assault, 72th Mech, and 82th Airborne
Language barrier isn't an impregnable obstacle. If the Party decides that its soldiers must learn Russian, they will. Talented ones will learn a lot faster than others and get sent to fight in Russia as a reward...
omfg lol no. You can't just "order" someone to learn Russian, it doesn't work like that. You might as well declare war on Neptune and have your troops attack the ocean.
Why not? Do you think North Koreans are unable to organize language classes with mandatory attendance if they thought it would help? With some actual Russian teachers provided by Russia? This is exactly how it works. And yes, Russian is a hard language, but some people learn languages a lot easier than others (me included, "tested" more than once with very different languages), so a 3-6 months intensive might be quite enough to facilitate basic military communications. Logically, I'd expect some percentage of north koreans to have as much or more "natural affinity" to learning languages as me (even despite having no previous "exposure" - I didn't have any exposure to Japanese either, but I didn't have much trouble learning some of it back in the day, even if I forgot all of it by now).
Generally, foreign students at Russian universities and trade schools take 2 academic years studying Russian, though I've met guys who did it in one. A person would have to be extremely fluent to understand a mission briefing. The whole idea is stupid. If they're sent in brigade-sized units then the language barrier matters a lot less.
But I don't really believe there are Koreans in the military zone at all, and that's not just something Ukraine made up to try to convince NATO to put boots on the ground.
2 years sounds about right to learn more or less "properly", for general purpose. Before Covid made everything go to hell, I spent 2 years learning Spanish (2 classes a week, with no other motivation than "because I could"), which, for me, was enough to travel in Spain and try reading some books (my classmates had it a lot harder while trying a lot harder too). Obviously, my Spanish level was still very low compared to my English (with which I have practice for most of my life), and even lower now (5 years of no practice later).
And, of course, I've no idea what military mission briefings are like, and actual experience is never like the classes (slang, accents and fast talking are real trouble). However, the most important things to "get started" are the correct vocabulary + a good grasp on grammar. The first is controllable (by teachers), the second greatly depends on the student (teaching them in masses and selecting best performers might work if you have enough "human material").
Anyway, regardless of how much time actual Korean soldiers need to learn enough Russian, each passing month is a month they can spend doing that, so if they set it as a goal - eventually the language barrier will fall. If they already did - it will fall faster.
It's anything else than as simple. Language barriers are a huge issue in operations of this kind, and there is simply no way to teach everybody involved, or at least those that matter, to speak Russian fluently enough to think, command and fight in it.
I'm not saying one can just take troops that are already there (selected by whatever criteria) and teach them all. However, one can decide to set "new standards", use them to prepare more troops at home specifically for this role, then pick those that excel in their studies, train them together (perhaps even together with some Russians, somewhere close to NK to be safe), then send them as a "new batch". It takes time, but North Koreans have time... the only question is - do they think they want / need it.
Mate, sorry, but you're now losing yourself in could-be/would-be/should-be scenarios.
What you think is the case, is simply not working. That's it.
thx!
Volodymyr Yermolenko (president of Pen Ukraine) worried about the widening civilian-military divide also. He said that going back to a society of Cossacks (military), Bourgeois and Peasants as in parts of Ukraine's history isn't good, but admitted dealing with what's happening is tricky
Thank you!
It seems that not only previous rumours about Corps commanders were confirmed, but also new details came, besides Corps formed in NatGuard based on Azon and Khartia, and Corps based on 3rd Assault, 93th Assault, there would be one Corps based on 5th Assault, 72th Mech, and 82th Airborne
Thank you, Don and Tom.
Thank you for the update. Interesting that the intensity is dwindling.