SEOUL—In a country that fetes its military elites like celebrities, Col. Gen. Kim Yong Bok was rarely seen—or even mentioned—in public. His role leading North Korea’s special forces required him to keep a low profile to conceal his identity. But now he is a very public figure.

       He is the top North Korean military official in Russia, where more than 11,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to aid Moscow’s efforts to dislodge Ukrainian troops who have seized a chunk of Russian territory.

       Unlock Premium Insights from The Wall Street Journal

       Take your experience further with Mint Premium- access insights and analysis on global markets

       Subscribe now Already subscribed? Login

       Premium benefits

       30+ articles from print edition and premium publication daily

       Present across social media apps to keep you updated

       In-depth Market Reports from leading experts

       Most loved Mint podcasts on 35+ topics

       Sharp insights supported by simple data and visuals

       Unlock 30+ well researched

       and bias free premium articles daily

       Access to global insights with

       100+ exclusive articles from

       international publications

       Get complimentary access to

       3+ investment based apps

       TRENDLYNE Get One Month GuruQ plan at Rs 1

       FINOLOGY Free finology subscription for 1 month.

       SMALLCASE 20% off on all smallcases

       5+ subscriber only newsletters

       specially curated by the experts

       Free access to e-paper and

       WhatsApp updates

       Not convinced yet?

       Share your contact details and

       we will get in touch with you…

       = 48 && event.charCode Confirm

       Thanks for sharing your number