For the first time, North Korea has officially acknowledged sending troops to Russia to participate in the war against Ukraine. According to a statement released on Monday by the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party, the deployment was carried out under the mutual defense treaty between the two countries.
“The people who fought for justice are heroes and symbols of national honor,” said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as quoted by state media. The statement claims that North Korean military support significantly contributed to the “liberation of Russian territory occupied by Ukraine.”
In Moscow, the Kremlin issued a declaration in which President Vladimir Putin expressed gratitude for North Korea’s involvement, highlighting that its soldiers “actively participated” in the fighting and helped expel Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region.
On Saturday, Russia announced it had fully regained control of Kursk, a region it lost last year following a surprise Ukrainian incursion. Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the Russian General Staff, confirmed that North Korean troops fought alongside Russian forces during the operation.
Gerasimov praised their performance, stating that North Korean soldiers “carried out combat missions side by side with Russian troops, demonstrating professionalism, courage, and heroism on the battlefield.”
Since last autumn, Ukraine, the United States, and South Korea had accused Pyongyang of deploying between 10,000 and 12,000 troops to Russia to bolster Kursk’s defense. Until now, both Moscow and Pyongyang had avoided explicitly confirming the presence of North Korean forces, merely insisting that their military cooperation complied with international law.
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