Kim Jong Un Praises NK Troops Deployed With Russia in Ukraine War

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, publicly praised his country’s troops deployed to support Russia in the war in Ukraine, telling officers in Kursk that their overseas operation has demonstrated the power and resolve of the North Korean military. State media reported that Kim conveyed warm encouragement to the officers and soldiers serving in Russia’s Kursk region, an area identified by Western intelligence as the main staging ground for Pyongyang’s forces in 2024. The comments come as Pyongyang has publicly framed its involvement as a joint enterprise with Moscow under a strategic partnership that includes a mutual defense pact.

Kim’s remarks, delivered in a meeting with members of the army’s overseas operation, echo a broader narrative in Pyongyang of loyalty and sacrifice. He was quoted as saying, “Our army is now doing what it ought to do and what needs to be done. It will do so in the future, too.” The leader also proclaimed, “Ours is a heroic army,” a line frequently used to frame North Korea’s military endeavors as noble and essential to national security. The background to these statements is that North Korea confirmed in April that it had deployed a contingent of...