North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over a welcoming ceremony in Pyongyang for an army engineering unit that returned after a four month deployment in Russia, according to state media on Saturday.
The event, reported by the Korean Central News Agency, marked one of the clearest public acknowledgements by Pyongyang of its military involvement alongside Russian forces during the war in Ukraine. The troops were praised for what Kim described as “heroic” conduct during operations in Russia’s western Kursk region.
The ceremony highlights the deepening military partnership between North Korea and Russia, a relationship that has drawn growing concern from the United States, South Korea, and their allies.
KCNA said Kim attended the ceremony on Friday to welcome members of the 528th Regiment of Engineers of the Korean People’s Army. The unit had been dispatched in early August and remained overseas for about 120 days.
In a speech carried by state media, Kim commended the officers and soldiers for demonstrating “mass heroism” while carrying out orders issued by the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.
He said the regiment cleared dangerous areas under combat conditions and showed “absolute loyalty” to the party and the state, adding that their discipline and unity should serve as a model for the entire armed forces.
Video footage released by North Korean media showed uniformed soldiers disembarking from an aircraft as crowds gathered to welcome them. Kim was seen embracing troops, including one soldier seated in a wheelchair, while senior military officials and party leaders stood nearby.
Families of the soldiers and large numbers of civilians also attended the ceremony, KCNA reported.
During his address, Kim acknowledged that nine soldiers from the regiment were killed during the mission, calling their deaths a “heartrending loss.” He announced that the unit would receive the Order of Freedom and Independence.
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KCNA said the nine fallen soldiers were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, along with other state honors.
The acknowledgement of casualties is notable, as Pyongyang rarely releases detailed information about losses during overseas deployments.
According to South Korean, Ukrainian, and Western intelligence estimates cited by Reuters and other outlets, North Korea sent around 14,000 troops to support Russian operations in the Kursk region under a mutual defence agreement signed last year. More than 6,000 are believed to have been killed, though those figures have not been confirmed by Pyongyang or Moscow.
KCNA said the engineering regiment carried out both combat and construction related tasks in the Kursk region during Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia.
Last month, Russia’s Defence Ministry said North Korean troops who helped repel a major Ukrainian incursion into the area are now playing a key role in clearing landmines and securing territory, according to statements reported by Reuters.
The Kursk region has seen intensified fighting in recent months as Ukrainian forces attempted to push across the border, prompting Russia to reinforce its western defences.
North Korea has increasingly highlighted the role of its forces fighting alongside Russia. In August, Kim praised officers involved in overseas operations during a separate meeting, state media said.
