Kim Jong Un hails ‘heroic’ North Korean troops fighting in Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un heaped praise on his nation’s troops deployed to help Russia in its war against Ukraine during a meeting with commanders, state media reported Thursday.

Kim “conveyed warm encouragement” to the officers and the soldiers serving in Russia’s Kursk region, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, referencing an area where intelligence agencies say Pyongyang has sent more than 10,000 fighters.“Ours is a heroic army,” Kim was quoted as saying in a speech to members of the North’s military in the capital.

“Our army is now doing what it ought to do and what needs to be done. It will do so in the future, too,” he added.

Kim’s remarks come as US President Donald Trump ramps up so-far fruitless attempts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, having held high-profile talks with the leaders of both countries in recent days.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin, who last week hailed the North Korean troops as “heroic,” has up to now avoided meeting his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky for peace talks.

Russia and North Korea have been forging increasingly close ties, including signing a mutual defence pact last year when Putin visited the reclusive state.

In April, North Korea confirmed for the first time that it had deployed a contingent of its soldiers to the front line in Ukraine, alongside Russian troops.

South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have said Pyongyang sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia’s Kursk region in 2024, along with artillery shells, missiles and long-range rocket systems.

Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, Seoul has said.