North Korea held a welcoming ceremony for engineer troops who completed a mine clearance mission in Russia's Kursk region amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Leader Kim Jong-un honored the unit by awarding medals while mourning the loss of nine personnel. The troops returned after 120 days since their deployment in early August.
In Pyongyang on Friday (December 12), North Korean leader Kim Jong-un welcomed around 1,000 engineer troops from the 528th Regiment of Engineers at a ceremony. The unit had been deployed to Russia's western Kursk region in early August to assist Russian forces in clearing landmines planted by Ukrainian soldiers. North Korea had previously sent about 15,000 combat troops to support Russia in the Ukraine war.
Kim expressed gratitude for their safe return while noting the "heartrending loss of nine lives." He praised them, saying, "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, the task which was believed to be impossible to be carried out even in several years." He added that "the armed villains of the West, armed with whatever latest military hardware they are, cannot match this revolutionary army with an unfathomable spiritual depth."
Kim conferred the Order of Freedom and Independence on the regiment and awarded the title of "DPRK Hero" along with first-class orders to the deceased troops. Photos from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) showed him embracing wounded soldiers in wheelchairs and families of the fallen. He remarked, "One hundred and twenty days have passed since the moment when I had to dispatch you, combatants of this regiment, to the dangerous battleground; every day of this period seemed like a decade, just as when I had been waiting for the combatants of the special operations units, who had been involved in the liberation battles."
Pyongyang had previously remained silent on the additional engineer deployment, known from Russian reports, but Saturday's KCNA dispatch confirmed the details, including duration and casualties. Observers view North Korea's focus on the sacrifices as a way to bolster internal unity and signal to Moscow expectations of compensation. Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the North is likely to continue highlighting its sacrifices to ensure Russia "continues to play its role as an ally."
Earlier this year, Kim awarded commendations to troops deployed for the Russia-Ukraine war, calling them "great heroes and patriots," and North Korea built a memorial hall in Pyongyang to honor those killed in combat. Military cooperation between North Korea and Russia has deepened since they signed a mutual defense treaty in June last year.
