Kim Jong-un holds ceremony to welcome North Korean soldiers home from fighting for Russia

Published connected 22/08/2025 - 7:59 GMT+2 •Updated 10:39

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un held a ceremonial successful nan superior Pyongyang to grant authorities honours to soldiers who returned from combat successful Ukraine and to mourn those killed, authorities media said connected Friday.

The charismatic Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim awarded authorities “hero” titles to commanders and soldiers who returned aft fighting alongside Russian forces successful nan Kursk separator region.

He besides placed medals beside nan portraits of fallen North Korean troops, described by authorities media arsenic “martyrs.”

“The participants of overseas operations, done their patient struggle and noble sacrifice, achieved awesome feats that will beryllium remembered successful history forever,” Kim said successful a speech.

According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent astir 15,000 troops to Russia since past autumn and supplied ample quantities of subject equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles, successful support of Russia’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine.

Kim has besides agreed to nonstop thousands of subject building workers and deminers to Kursk, a deployment South Korean intelligence believes could hap soon.

South Korean officials person expressed interest that North Korea could person severely needed economical assistance and precocious subject technologies successful speech for its warfare support.

They fearfulness that could heighten nan threat posed by Kim’s atomic weapons programme. Experts opportunity North Korea's subject would besides get valuable combat experiences from nan war.

Deepening ties pinch Putin

Last week, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone telephone to talk their deepening ties and efforts against Ukraine, according to some countries' authorities media.

Putin had reportedly praised nan “bravery, heroism and self-sacrificing spirit” displayed by North Korean troops arsenic they fought pinch Russian forces to repel nan Ukrainian incursion into Kursk.

The telephone took spot up of Putin's gathering pinch US President Donald Trump successful Alaska. Russia's TASS authorities news agency reported that Putin had besides shared accusation pinch Kim astir nan talks. The North Korean reports did not mention nan Trump meeting.

Kim told Putin that Pyongyang will afloat support “all measures to beryllium taken by nan Russian activity successful nan future, too,” arsenic they discussed advancing ties successful “all fields” nether a strategical business statement they signed during a acme past year, KCNA said.

Since Russia’s penetration of Ukraine, Kim has made Moscow nan privilege of his overseas argumentation arsenic he intends to break retired of negotiated isolation and grow relations pinch countries confronting Washington.

His authorities has dismissed Washington and Seoul’s stated desires to restart diplomacy aimed astatine defusing nan North’s atomic programme, which derailed successful 2019 pursuing a collapsed acme pinch Trump during his first term.

South Korea’s caller wide President Lee Jae Myung has pushed to revive speech betwixt nan Koreas since taking agency successful June. He's extended oliva branches for illustration ending cross-border propaganda broadcasts that irritate Pyongyang.

But Kim's powerful sister Kim Yo-jong this week again taunted South Korean efforts to amended ties, saying that her state will ne'er judge Seoul arsenic a negotiated partner.

With its alignment pinch Russia deepening, North Korea has besides go much vocal successful world affairs beyond nan Korean Peninsula, issuing statements connected conflicts successful nan Middle East and issues related to nan Taiwan Strait.