North Korea confirms sending troops to Russia for the first time

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has officially confirmed for the first time that it sent troops to support Russia in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), these soldiers served in Russia’s Kursk Oblast for several months, and the operation was successfully completed.

This step was taken within the framework of the comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement between the two countries.

KCNA quoted a statement from the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

The statement said, “Our combat units, which participated in the operation to ‘liberate’ Kursk Oblast under the order of the DPRK State Chairman, fully displayed high combat spirit and military courage, showing mass heroism, unparalleled bravery, and self-sacrifice.”

The statement noted that the units “made a significant contribution to the destruction of Ukraine’s neo-Nazi forces and the ‘liberation’ of the territory of the Russian Federation.”

The agency added that units of the national armed forces participated in the operation in accordance with the order of “State Chairman” Kim Jong-un.

Kim Jong-un mentioned the names of the North Koreans who fought in Kursk Oblast and called for their memory to be preserved.

It was stated that a monument would be erected in Pyongyang in their honor and that support would be provided to their families.

The committee noted that this cooperation demonstrated “the highest level of combat friendship between Korea and Russia and the allied, fraternal relations between the countries.”

It was stated that the operation to “liberate” Kursk Oblast from the Ukrainian army had been completed.

Russia had officially confirmed the participation of soldiers from the DPRK in the conflicts in Kursk Oblast for the first time on April 26.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mariya Zakharova stated that the soldiers participated within the framework of the fourth article of the comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement between Russia and the DPRK.

The DPRK and Russia ratified the comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement between the countries last November.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un signed the agreement in June during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang.

According to Article 4 of the agreement, if one of the participants is subjected to an armed attack by another state and enters a state of war, the other participant shall immediately provide military and other assistance with all means at its disposal.

Furthermore, according to Article 8, the parties shall develop mechanisms to strengthen defense capabilities to prevent war.

Even before the agreement was ratified, the US Department of State had stated that allegedly 10,000 Korean soldiers had been deployed to Kursk Oblast.

The Kremlin had described the information that North Korean soldiers had been sent to Russia to participate in the conflict as contradictory.

Pyongyang, on the other hand, had stated that this was a “dirty maneuver” by the US and its allies.

At a press conference held at the end of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Putin stated that Russia’s relations with North Korea were a matter that only concerned Russia.

In January, the media wrote that the North Korean leader might visit Russia in the first half of this year.

Additionally, according to sources, the North Korean leader may hold talks with re-elected US President Donald Trump.