North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un called the soldiers who fought alongside the Russian military in Russia's Kursk Oblast "heroes" and "representatives of the nation's honor," North Korean state media reported on May 10.
"Our involvement in the war was justifiable, and this belongs to our sovereign rights," Kim said. "I regard this as part of the sacred mission we must execute for our brothers and comrades-in-arms."
Kim also declared that if the "henchmen of the United States and the West, with their tacky, defective munitions, attempt another assault on the Russian Federation," then North Korea "will unhesitatingly issue an order on using the armed forces of the DPRK in repelling the enemy’s invasion."
The North Korean dictator also went on to claim that Russia "serves as a spiritual model" for North Korea and that it is a country of "the last people to tolerate injustice."
North Korea only publicly admitted its involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine in late April, although they first dispatched around 11,000 troops to aid Russia in the fall of 2024. An additional 3,000 troops were reportedly sent earlier this year after Kyiv reported that more than a third of North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured in combat.
Kim has been one of the key allies of Russia during its full-scale war against Ukraine, providing not only soldiers but also artillery shells, ballistic missiles, and other supplies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin personally greeted North Korean soldiers after the so-called Victory Day Parade in Moscow on May 9, although Kim was not among the foreign leaders in attendance.
Asami Terajima
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