North Korea acknowledges sending troops to Russia for first time

North Korea officially confirmed for the first time on Monday that it has deployed troops to Russia, framing it as an extension of its strategic partnership with Moscow.

In this screenshot of a video released by Ukrainian media, North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia are seen on the battlefield in the Kursk Oblast in southwestern Russia on Dec. 5 last year. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

North Korea officially confirmed for the first time on Monday that it has deployed troops to Russia, framing it as an extension of its strategic partnership with Moscow.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Monday that the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party sent a written statement to state media the previous day.

In the statement, North Korea said the deployment fully conforms to the provisions and spirit of the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty between Pyongyang and Moscow and represents the most faithful and practical expression of its implementation.

The Central Military Commission added that North Korean troops participated in what it called "the operations for liberating the Kursk area,” describing it as a successful effort to repel Ukraine's "adventurous invasion" against the Russian Federation. The statement emphasized that the North Korean military units joined the operation under “the orders” of leader Kim Jong-un.

The commission further said that Kim Jong-un determined that the situation on the battlefield warranted the activation of Article 4 of the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty between North Korea and Russia.

Based on this analysis, Kim ordered the deployment of North Korean forces and notified the Russian side accordingly, according to the statement.

North Korea also noted that Kim referred to the troops dispatched to Russia as "representatives of the nation's honor."

He reportedly pledged that a monument to commemorate their military feats would soon be erected in Pyongyang and that flowers of eternal tribute from the homeland and people would be laid at the graves of the fallen soldiers. Russia officially announced on Saturday that with support from North Korean forces, it had fully regained control of its border region of Kursk.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY BAE JAE-SUNG [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]