DPRK and Russian officials confirmed the participation of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region fighting in accordance with an international treaty, with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praising “heroes and representatives of the honour” of the DPRK. (Updated on 26 April 10:50 a.m.)
On Saturday, Russian General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov, presenting a report to Putin, said that Russian troops had completely dislodged the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) from the Kursk region.
I would like to separately note the participation of servicemen of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the liberation of the border districts of the Kursk region, who, in accordance with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between our countries, provided significant assistance in defeating the encroached grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed that North Korean troops provided assistance to Russian servicemen under Article 4 of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Russia and North Korea. The agreement was concluded in 2024 during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang.
In a statement published on the Kremlin’s official website on Monday, the Russian president expressed gratitude to North Korean soldiers. He also voiced confidence that “the relations of friendship, good-neighbourliness and cooperation between our countries, hardened on the battlefield, will continue to develop successfully and dynamically in all areas.”
The Russian people will never forget the feat of Korean special forces fighters. We will always honour the Korean heroes who gave their lives for Russia, for our common freedom, on an equal footing with our Russian brothers in arms.
Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on Monday that in accordance with the treaty, Russia could also provide military assistance to the DPRK.
We have a treaty in force, and under this treaty, the parties have actually pledged to provide immediate assistance to each other if necessary. The participation of Korean soldiers in the operation to liberate the Kursk region showed how effectively this treaty functions.
Signal to Ukraine and its allies
North Korea confirmed for the first time on Monday that it had sent troops to fight for Russia on orders from the country’s leader Kim Jong Un, who called the soldiers “heroes.” The confession came amid Kremlin claims that North Korean troops helped retake Russia’s Kursk region.
In a Monday statement, North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency quoted the ruling party as saying the end of the battle in Russia’s Kursk region demonstrated the “highest strategic level of the firm militant friendship” between Russia and the DPRK.
Under the order of the head of state, the sub-units of the armed forces of the Republic regarded the territory of Russia as the one of their country and proved the firm alliance between the two countries.
Kim Jong Un also praised North Korean soldiers who took part in the battles in the Kursk region.
They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honour of the motherland.
North Korean media shared footage of combat training of soldiers who participated in the repelling of AFU troops from the Kursk region. The video features soldiers carrying their own weapons, who at the end, during the march, sing the song Friendly Father, referring to Kim Jong Un.
The confirmed involvement of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) in the war in Ukraine could send a strong signal to Kyiv and its allies, who presumably stand behind the decisions, that any new incursion into Russia’s original territories, such as the Kursk region, could end in a clash with KPA soldiers.
North Korean troops, some of the most numerous in the world and possessing a variety of weapons, could be one of Putin’s trump cards to reinforce Russia’s negotiating position.
While no one is actually fighting for Ukraine except the dubious International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine, real soldiers have stood up for Russia, military experts note. Any kind of assistance to Kyiv ends with offers to send a military peace force to provide security after the war is over.
