Kim Jong-un has praised North Korean soldiers sent to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, describing them as “heroes” during a ceremony in Pyongyang to honour troops who recently returned from the conflict.
According to state media, the North Korean leader said his forces had demonstrated the “fighting spirit of the heroes” in their role in retaking Russia’s Kursk region from Ukrainian troops, who had gained a foothold there last year.
“The combat activities of overseas operational forces … proved without regret the power of the heroic [North Korean] army,” Kim was quoted by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as saying.
The ceremony, held earlier this week, included tributes at a memorial for soldiers killed in Ukraine, as well as a concert and banquet attended by relatives of the dead. KCNA reported that Kim personally met officers of the overseas operation and expressed “warm militant encouragement” to the commanders and troops.
The events mark the latest public display of gratitude from Pyongyang, in contrast to the secrecy that surrounded the initial deployment of North Korean forces to Russia last autumn.
The tributes also came days after Russian president Vladimir Putin praised North Korean troops in a message to Kim marking the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. Putin described them as “heroic”, recalling that Soviet and Korean forces had fought together against Japan during the second world war.
“The bonds of militant friendship, goodwill and mutual aid which were consolidated in the days of the war long ago remain solid and reliable even today,” Putin said.
Russia and North Korea have strengthened their military and diplomatic ties over the past year, raising international concern that Pyongyang’s troops are gaining valuable combat experience which could later be used against South Korea.
The two countries signed a mutual defence pact last year, and in April North Korea confirmed for the first time that it had sent soldiers to the frontline in Ukraine. Intelligence agencies in South Korea and the West estimate that Pyongyang deployed more than 10,000 troops to Russia’s Kursk region in 2024, along with artillery, missiles and long-range rocket systems.
South Korean lawmakers said in April that around 600 North Korean soldiers had been killed from a total deployment of 15,000, citing intelligence briefings.
