North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has lauded his country’s soldiers deployed to support Russia in the war against Ukraine, describing them as part of a “heroic army.”
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim met with senior officers of the army’s overseas operation and “conveyed warm encouragement” to those stationed in Russia’s Kursk region — an area where intelligence reports suggest Pyongyang has deployed more than 10,000 fighters.
“Ours is a heroic army,” Kim declared during a speech in Pyongyang. “Our army is now doing what it ought to do and what needs to be done. It will do so in the future, too.”
The acknowledgment underscores deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. In April, North Korea confirmed for the first time that it had dispatched combat troops to the Ukrainian front line. This development followed the signing of a strategic partnership treaty between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June 2024, which included a mutual defense pact.
South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have reported that, in addition to manpower, Pyongyang has supplied Russia with artillery shells, missiles, and long-range rocket systems. Seoul estimates that about 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands wounded in the conflict.
Kim’s remarks come at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for an end to the war, having recently held high-profile discussions with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
While Putin last week praised North Korean soldiers as “heroic,” he has so far avoided direct talks with Zelenskyy.
