North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un held a welcome ceremony in Pyongyang on Friday to greet a group of engineers who had completed their mission in Russia and returned to their home country. In a rare public acknowledgment, Kim Jong-un admitted that amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, North Korea had dispatched troops to Russia to carry out lethal mine-clearing missions and posthumously awarded national honors to fallen soldiers.
According to North Korean state media KCNA on Saturday, Kim Jong-un praised the officers and soldiers of the 528th Engineer Corps of the Korean People’s Army, commending them for their combat and engineering tasks in the Kursk region of Russia during their 120-day overseas deployment.
During the welcome ceremony, Kim Jong-un embraced the returning soldiers, including wounded soldiers seated in wheelchairs.
Last month, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the North Korean troops were playing a crucial role in mine-clearing operations in the Kursk region.
Kim Jong-un revealed on Friday that 9 soldiers had died during this mission, describing the loss as “heartbreaking.” He posthumously conferred hero titles and other national honors upon these fallen soldiers.
According to sources from South Korea, Ukraine, and the West, North Korea deployed approximately 14,000 soldiers to fight in Kursk last year to support Russia in its nearly four-year-long war in Ukraine, with over 6,000 casualties. This contrasts starkly with the 9 casualties disclosed by Kim Jong-un.
Analysts believe that Russia is providing financial aid, military technology, food, and energy supplies to diplomatically isolated North Korea in exchange for assistance, helping North Korea evade severe international sanctions.
South Korean media reports indicate that each North Korean soldier sent to Russia could receive around 5 million South Korean won (approximately $3,704) per month as compensation. This brings substantial income to the North Korean authorities monthly, as most of this compensation may not reach the soldiers themselves.
Due to the extremely high risk of death for soldiers deployed to Russia, the North Korean authorities are deeply concerned about potential discontent and internal unrest at home. Intelligence suggests that the authorities have heightened surveillance and relocated some soldiers’ families to specific areas to prevent the spread of dissatisfaction among family members.