North Korean Soldiers Return From Russia’s War With Ukraine

North Korean Soldiers Return to Fanfare After Serving in Russia’s War With UkraineKim Jong-un hugged the returning troops and awarded the country’s highest medal to nine soldiers killed in action.Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, hugs a soldier in Pyongyang during a ceremony welcoming troops home from a deployment in Russia’s Kursk region, in a photograph released by state media.Credit...Korean Central News Agency, via Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesDec. 13, 2025, 1:42 a.m. ETNorth Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, welcomed home specialized soldiers this week after a deployment in Russia’s war against Ukraine, honoring nine killed in action with his country’s highest medal, state media reported on Saturday.The event was North Korea’s first public acknowledgment that it had sent specialized troops, combat engineers tasked with mine-clearing operations, to aid Russia in the war.The Kremlin said in July that North Korea had agreed to send 1,000 combat engineers and 5,000 military construction workers to help rebuild Russia’s war-torn Kursk region. Earlier, up to 15,000 North Korean troops fought alongside Russian forces there to drive out Ukrainian soldiers.State media said the combat engineers returned home after a demining operation in Kursk. A large welcoming ceremony was held Friday in a plaza in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, where Mr. Kim thanked the troops for their “sacred mission” and praised their “brilliant military exploits.”“You could work a miracle of turning a vast area of danger zone into a safe and secure one in a matter of less than three months,” Mr. Kim said in a speech to returning members of North Korea’s 528th Regiment of Engineers. “Except for the heart-rending loss of nine lives, all the officers and soldiers of the regiment have returned to the motherland.”Photos in state media showed Mr. Kim hugging returning soldiers, including five in wheelchairs. He affixed medals designating North Korea’s “heroes” to portraits of the nine killed in action and knelt to place white chrysanthemums before a memorial wall.Family members of the dead soldiers were shown touching their sons’ portraits in tears, photos showed.North Korea has aided Russia’s war efforts by sending not only its troops but also large shipments of artillery shells, missiles and other weapons. During the war, Moscow and Pyongyang revived their Cold War-era treaty of mutual defense and cooperation.South Korean intelligence officials and analysts said Russia has reciprocated by providing North Korea with fuel, food and military materials and technologies that they fear could help modernize its military. At least hundreds of North Korean troops are believed to have been killed in the war, they said.Since June, North Korea has publicly paid tribute to fallen soldiers and honored returning troops with medals to bolster domestic support for Mr. Kim’s decision to join Russia’s war against Ukraine.State media has shown what it says is footage of North Korean troops charging into minefields or heavy gunfire without hesitation, as well as wounded soldiers detonating grenades to kill themselves rather than being taken prisoner.Choe Sang-Hun is the lead reporter for The Times in Seoul, covering South and North Korea.SKIP