Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un confirmed for the first time that North Korea sent troops to fight for Russia in war with Ukraine, the two leaders describing soldiers as “heroes”.
Recognition comes in the midst of the allegations of the Kremlin – disputed by Ukraine – which the North Korean forces have helped to take over the Kursk region of Russia.
“The Russian people will never forget the heroism of the Korean special forces. We will always honor the Korean heroes who gave their lives for Russia and for our common freedom, alongside their brothers in arms of the Russian Federation,” said Putin in a statement published by the Kremlin.
In a statement published on Monday, the KCNA state news agency in North Korea cited the ruling party saying that the end of the battle in the Kursk Russia region has shown the “highest strategic level of closed military friendship” between North Korea and Russia.
Recognition follows months of silence on deployment, which has been widely reported in the Western media. The Kremlin also said that Russia was ready to provide assistance to North Korea “similar to the support offered to its soldiers from the Kursk region”.
Russia said last week that the Ukrainian forces had been expelled from the last Russian village they held. kyiv, however, denied the complaint, and said that Ukrainian troops also operated in Belgorod, another Russian region bordering Ukraine.
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that the Ukraine army was still fighting in Kursk despite Moscow affirming the “liberation” of his Western region.
“Our soldiers continue to carry out tasks in the Kursk and Belgorod regions-we maintain our presence on Russian territory,” he said in his evening speech. In a statement earlier on Sunday, he admitted that the situation remained difficult in many areas, including Kursk.
The central military commission of the ruling workers’ party in North Korea declared that Kim had made the decision to deploy troops under the full treaty of the strategic partnership he had signed with Putin in June 2024.
“Under the order of the Head of State, the subunits of the Armed Forces of the Republic considered the territory of Russia as one of their country and proved the firm alliance between the two countries,” the Commission said.
North Korea “considers an honor to have an alliance with a state as powerful as the Russian Federation,” added Kcna.
The agency quoted Kim saying: “He who fought for justice is all heroes and representatives of the honor of the fatherland.”
North Korea has sent an estimated total to 14,000 soldiers, including 3,000 reinforcements, to replace people killed, injured or captured, said Ukrainian officials. Without armored vehicles or drone war experience, they made heavy victims but quickly adapted, the officials added.
Russia confirmed on Saturday for the first time that North Korean soldiers were fighting alongside the Russians in Kursk. Neither Russia nor North Korea had previously confirmed or denied deployment.
The United States Department of State said it was concerned about the direct participation of North Korea in the Russian war in Ukraine and that the military deployment of Pyongyang must end.
“We continue to be concerned about direct participation (from North Korea) to war. (North Korea) the military deployment in Russia and any support provided by the Russian Federation (North Korea) in return,” said a spokesperson for the State Department in an email, adding that third countries like North Korea “are responsible for war.
Kim, whose material support for Putin could gain access to North Korea to Russian satellite access and military technology to stimulate its nuclear missile program, said that a monument would soon be built in the capital, Pyongyang, to honor the “battle exploits” of its soldiers.
North Korea has also provided Russia large amounts of ammunition, artillery shells, ballistic missiles and other weapons. South Korea, the United States and its partners fear that Russia will reward North Korea by transferring high-tech weapons technologies to use in its nuclear weapons program. North Korea should also receive economic assistance and other from Russia.
Kim’s reference to the “tombstones of the fell soldiers” is considered to be a public confirmation by the regime that the North Korean troops had been killed in combat.
Zelenskyy put the number of North Koreans killed or injured at 4,000, although the American estimates are lower, around 1,200.
Kim said that North Korea must “take important national measures to honor and take care of the families of war veterans”.
Experts said Moscow and Pyongyang have probably agreed to publicly disclose deployment.
“The two countries have agreed to disclose the deployment because they judged that the advantages of the remuneration for the deployment of troops prevailed over potential damage to their international image,” said Agency France-Presse.
By promising state advantages to the troops deployed, North Korea could also “facilitate the internal backlash sufficiently,” said Yang, adding that this decision reflected the growing confidence of Pyongyang.
“North Korea probably aimed to show that victory was obtained thanks to their involvement, thus obtaining greater awards from Russia,” he added.
