North Korea held a ceremony on December 12 to welcome soldiers from the 528th engineer unit, who had been deployed to Russia's Kursk province in August 2024 for a mine-clearing mission. Leader Kim Jong Un expressed gratitude for their safe return, though he acknowledged a "tragic loss of nine people."

Kim praised the soldiers, stating, "You achieved a miracle, transforming a dangerous area into a safe one in less than three months. This task was previously considered impossible to accomplish even over several years."

Kim awarded the Order of Freedom and Independence to the 528th engineer unit. He also posthumously granted hero titles and first-class orders to fallen soldiers.

Kim Jong Un met North Korean soldiers returning from Russia at the ceremony on December 12. Photo: KCNA

North Korea deployed approximately 1,000 engineers to Russia's Kursk province, where they collaborated with Russian forces on mine-clearing operations. This deployment followed Ukraine's offensive campaign in the region in August 2024, which saw Ukrainian forces control significant territory for months. North Korea sent forces to assist Russia, helping Moscow liberate the area in late April 2024.

Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, praised the North Korean military personnel's professionalism. Leader Kim Jong Un affirmed that North Korea's troop deployment to Kursk was "legitimate and an exercise of sovereign rights to protect a fraternal nation."

Ngoc Anh (According to Yonhap, Yahoo News, AFP)