North Korea confirms for the first time that it fought a war with Russia against Ukraine
Seoul: North Korea officially said Monday that it has dispatched soldiers to fight for Russia against Ukraine for the first time, citing the “sacred mission” as a means of strengthening ties with Moscow.
According to a report in South Korea’s official media, Yonhap, Pyongyang’s military stated its men assisted Russian forces in “completely liberating” the Kursk border area, as per an order from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to the state news agency KCNA.
This acknowledgement follows Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov’s commendation of North Korean forces’ contribution to the recapture of the Kursk border area in a video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 26.
Putin has said that his nation has taken back control of Kursk, the border area where Ukraine unexpectedly attacked last year. Ukraine has refuted the assertion.
Russia acknowledged the presence of North Korean forces nearly a year after the US, South Korea, the UK, and Ukraine reported seeing North Korean soldiers on the battlefield.
“Kim Jong Un determined that the participation of our armed forces in the war was a sacred mission aimed at cementing the traditional friendship and solidarity between the two countries, guaranteeing the development and prosperity of both countries and protecting North Korea’s honor,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
In June 2024, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in Pyongyang, which obligates the two countries to support one another militarily in the case of conflict.
Kim praised North Korean soldiers who participated in the operation to free the Kursk Region as heroes who battled for justice, according to the KCNA.
Additionally, he said that to formally recognize those slain in battle, a monument to the North Korean soldiers who participated in the operation would soon be built in Pyongyang and flowers offering prayers for eternal life will be laid in front of the graves of the fallen warriors.
In a statement released Sunday night, the US State Department said that North Korea and other “third countries” have “perpetuated” Russia’s assault on Ukraine and that both the conflict and Moscow’s backing of Pyongyang must cease, according to an Al Jazeera report.