North Korea held a welcoming ceremony on Friday for troops returning from Russia’s western Kursk region after completing a mine-clearance mission during the Ukraine war, state-run media reported on Saturday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un welcomed the soldiers in Pyongyang at the ceremony and paid tribute to nine personnel who were killed during the deployment, the Korean Central News Agency reported.
Pyongyang sent about 1,000 engineer troops in August to Kursk to assist Russian forces in clearing mines laid during the fighting with Ukrainian troops.
The deployment followed an earlier dispatch of an estimated 15,000 North Korean combat troops to support Russia’s war effort, according to South Korea's spy agency.
It claimed Pyongyang lost 2,000 troops in the war.
“Heroism and professionalism”
In a lengthy address, Kim expressed relief that most had come home safely, while describing the loss of the nine as “heart rending.”
He praised the regiment’s “heroism and professionalism,” saying the troops carried out their mission in a “harsh combat environment” where every step involved danger.
Kim said the engineers transformed large mine-contaminated areas into safe zones in less than three months, crediting the achievement to collective discipline and unity, rather than individual feats.
He highlighted the soldiers’ ideological commitment, camaraderie and willingness to put comrades first under life-threatening conditions.
