North Korea confirms it sent troops to Russia, calling them 'heroes'

North Korea confirmed for the first time Monday that its troops were fighting alongside Russia in its war against Ukraine, saying they helped Moscow take back control of its Ukraine-controlled Kursk region.

North Korea confirmed for the first time Monday that its troops were fighting alongside Russia in its war against Ukraine, saying they helped Moscow take back control of its Ukraine-controlled Kursk region.

American, South Korean and Ukrainian officials have said North Korea sent as many as 12,000 troops to Russia in the fall to fight in Kursk, which Ukrainian forces seized in a surprise incursion in August. North Korea had not confirmed or denied those reports until now.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the troops’ deployment under a mutual defense pact that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed in June 2024, North Korea’s Central Military Commission said in a statement that was carried by state-run news agency KCNA. The treaty includes a pledge of mutual defense if either country is attacked.

The statement said the operation to regain control of Kursk had been “victoriously concluded” and that it was “an honor to have an alliance with such a powerful state as the Russian Federation.”

“They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honor of the motherland,” Kim was quoted as saying.