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Quoted By:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/13/world/asia/north-korea-soldiers-russia-ukraine.html
North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, welcomed home specialized soldiers this week after a deployment in Russia’s war against Ukraine, honoring nine killed in action with his country’s highest medal, state media reported on Saturday.
The event was North Korea’s first public acknowledgment that it had sent specialized troops, combat engineers tasked with mine-clearing operations, to aid Russia in the war.
The Kremlin said in July that North Korea had agreed to send 1,000 combat engineers and 5,000 military construction workers to help rebuild Russia’s war-torn Kursk region. Earlier, up to 15,000 North Korean troops fought alongside Russian forces there to drive out Ukrainian soldiers.
State media said the combat engineers returned home after a demining operation in Kursk. A large welcoming ceremony was held Friday in a plaza in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, where Mr. Kim thanked the troops for their “sacred mission” and praised their “brilliant military exploits.”
“You could work a miracle of turning a vast area of danger zone into a safe and secure one in a matter of less than three months,” Mr. Kim said in a speech to returning members of North Korea’s 528th Regiment of Engineers. “Except for the heart-rending loss of nine lives, all the officers and soldiers of the regiment have returned to the motherland.”
North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, welcomed home specialized soldiers this week after a deployment in Russia’s war against Ukraine, honoring nine killed in action with his country’s highest medal, state media reported on Saturday.
The event was North Korea’s first public acknowledgment that it had sent specialized troops, combat engineers tasked with mine-clearing operations, to aid Russia in the war.
The Kremlin said in July that North Korea had agreed to send 1,000 combat engineers and 5,000 military construction workers to help rebuild Russia’s war-torn Kursk region. Earlier, up to 15,000 North Korean troops fought alongside Russian forces there to drive out Ukrainian soldiers.
State media said the combat engineers returned home after a demining operation in Kursk. A large welcoming ceremony was held Friday in a plaza in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, where Mr. Kim thanked the troops for their “sacred mission” and praised their “brilliant military exploits.”
“You could work a miracle of turning a vast area of danger zone into a safe and secure one in a matter of less than three months,” Mr. Kim said in a speech to returning members of North Korea’s 528th Regiment of Engineers. “Except for the heart-rending loss of nine lives, all the officers and soldiers of the regiment have returned to the motherland.”
