‘Sacred Mission’ – Kim Jong-un Orders Troop Deployment to Russia
North Korea has officially confirmed it has deployed troops to Russia’s Kursk Oblast to support Moscow in its war against Ukraine, acting under their mutual defense treaty, state media reported Monday.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), quoted by Yonhap, the deployment was made “by the order” of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, following a decision by Pyongyang’s Central Military Commission.
The mutual defense treaty, signed by Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June last year, commits both nations to providing military aid to each other in case of conflict.
The report marks Pyongyang’s first public confirmation, months after thousands of North Korean troops were reportedly sent to Russia’s front-line region of Kursk for combat operations.
“The operations for liberating the Kursk area to repel the adventurous invasion of the Russian Federation by the Ukrainian authorities were victoriously concluded,” KCNA said, adding that North Korean forces participated “according to the order of the country’s head of state, Kim Jong-un.”
After concluding that conditions met the terms for invoking the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed with Moscow, Kim “decided our armed forces’ participation in the war (and) informed the Russian side of it,” as per KCNA.
KCNA reports that North Korean military activities in Russia “fully conform” with the United Nations Charter, international law, and the bilateral treaty, calling the move “a model example of the most faithful expression of action to implement them.”
Kim reportedly described the deployment as “a sacred mission to further consolidate friendship and solidarity with Russia and defend the honor of the motherland.”
“They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honor of the motherland,” he said.
Kim also announced plans to erect a monument in Pyongyang honoring the fallen North Korean soldiers, saying that “flowers praying for immortality” will be placed before their tombstones.
Russian officials on Saturday confirmed for the first time that DPRK soldiers have been fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
While reports of North Korean fighters had circulated since fall 2024, Moscow had previously dismissed them as “hype.”
However, during a meeting broadcast on the Kremlin’s website on April 26, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov told Putin that North Korean troops helped “liberate” parts of the Kursk region, praising their “perseverance, courage, and heroism” in battle.
The Russian Foreign Ministry later endorsed the statement, with spokesperson Maria Zakharova calling it an example of “combat brotherhood” under the strategic partnership with Pyongyang.
South Korea’s intelligence agency previously estimated that about 14,000 North Korean troops had been deployed to support Russia, alongside 200 long-range artillery units and large quantities of ammunition.
Reports suggest at least 4,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded.
In return, Pyongyang is believed to be receiving high-tech assistance from Moscow, including nuclear submarine technology and missile re-entry systems.
On Saturday, Russia claimed it had fully regained control of the Kursk region following a major Ukrainian incursion. Ukraine’s army, however, denied the claim, calling Russia’s statements “propaganda tricks.”
Source: Kyiv Post