Kim Jong Un took part in a ceremony welcoming North Korean soldiers returning from Russia after participating in combat and mine clearance operations in the Ukraine war, praising their bravery and awarding hero ranks to soldiers who died.
On 14 December 2025 GMT+7, North Korean official media reported that Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un attended a ceremony welcoming soldiers from the Korean People's Army Engineering Unit who returned home after being deployed to the Kursk region of Russia amid the Russia–Ukraine war.
The ceremony was held in Pyongyang, where Kim Jong Un praised the great bravery of the 528th Engineering Battalion, which served for about 120 days since early August, covering both combat and mine clearance in areas previously infiltrated and occupied by Ukrainian forces.
The North Korean leader stated that the military unit was able to restore dangerous areas to safety in less than three months, adding that the North Korean army cannot be compared to Western forces that rely solely on modern weapons.
During the ceremony, Kim Jong Un expressed condolences for the loss of nine soldiers and announced the awarding of the "Freedom and Independence" medal to the unit, while the fallen soldiers were honored as "Heroes of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
Earlier, Russia's Ministry of Defense confirmed that North Korean soldiers played a role in helping Russian forces push Ukrainian troops out of the Kursk region and conducted ongoing mine clearance missions. Reports stated that under a defense cooperation agreement between Russia and North Korea, about 14,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to support Russia, with approximately 3,000–4,000 casualties and injuries.
Source: Yonhap