Pyongyang: North Korea's state news agency, KCNA, reported on Saturday that supreme leader Kim Jong-un attended a welcoming ceremony for a military engineering unit returning home after a mission in Russia.
According to Thai News Agency, Kim praised the officers and soldiers of the 528th Engineer Regiment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) as "heroes" and highlighted their "great courage" in following orders issued by the ruling Workers' Party of Korea during their 120-day overseas deployment. Video footage released by North Korea shows soldiers in uniform disembarking from an airplane, Kim Jong-un embracing a soldier in a wheelchair, and images of soldiers and officers gathering to welcome the troops.
KCNA stated that the unit was deployed to Russia in early August and performed combat and engineering missions in Russia's Kursk region during the Russo-Ukrainian War. The welcoming ceremony was held on Friday in Pyongyang and was attended by high-ranking military officials, leaders of the Korean Workers' Party, families of soldiers, and a large number of citizens.
Kim also stated that the military unit had cleared dangerous areas under combat conditions and demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the party and the state. He further praised the political ideology, discipline, and unity instilled among the soldiers, calling their performance an example for the army.
Kim Jong-un stated that nine soldiers died in the mission, describing their loss as tragic, and announced that the soldiers would be awarded the Order of Freedom and Independence. KCNA reported that the nine deceased soldiers were also posthumously awarded the title of Heroes of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, along with other state honors.
North Korea has openly honored its soldiers who fought for Russia in the Ukrainian war. Earlier in August, Kim Jong-un praised them during a meeting with officials involved in overseas operations, while state media released images of him draping coffins with the national flag in what appeared to be a repatriation ceremony for soldiers who died alongside Russian forces.
Last month, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that North Korean troops who helped Russia repel Ukraine's major aggression in the Kursk region in western Russia were playing a key role in clearing landmines in the area.