Nine North Korean soldiers, who were in the Russian region of Kursk for four months, lost their lives during demining operations. The North Korean leader awarded the nine victims the title of “Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea”.
North Korean soldiers/PHOTO: X
According to the official KCNA news agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday presided over a welcoming ceremony for the soldiers of the 528th Engineer Regiment who spent 120 days in the Kursk region, partially occupied by Ukrainian forces between August 2024 and spring 2025, and announced “the loss of nine lives” during the mission, writes Agerpres.
The North Korean leader awarded the nine victims the title of “Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea” and other honors to “pays eternal tribute to their courageKCNA added.
“At the beginning of August, you, the generals of the regiment, left for the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, which your comrades in arms recaptured at the cost of their lives,” Kim said during the ceremony.
“Officers and soldiers, you showed collective heroism by overcoming almost unimaginable physical and mental difficulties almost every day”, he continued, stating that they managed to “achieve the miracle of turning a vast dangerous area into a safe area”.
According to KCNA, Kim Jong Un also expressed “the pain of having waited 120 days without forgetting for a moment his beloved sons”.
He stated that the North Korean military wrote “letters to their hometowns and villages during breaks in demining operations”.
In November, North Korea sent about 5,000 construction soldiers to Russia, a South Korean lawmaker said.
“Approximately 5,000 North Korean construction troops have moved to Russia in stages since September and are expected to be mobilized for infrastructure reconstruction,” said South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun.
“Signs of training and personnel selection have been detected in preparation for the deployment of additional troops,” he added.
According to South Korean intelligence estimates, around 10,000 North Korean troops are currently deployed near the border between Russia and Ukraine.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has secured Moscow's support for military technology after sending soldiers to fight alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region. In turn, he sent ammunition and equipment to Russia.
