---
title: 'North Korea Confirms Troops Cleared Mines for Russia'
url: 'https://thediplomaticinsight.com/north-korea-troops-cleared-mines-russia/'
author: 'News Desk'
date: '2025-12-13T09:20:20+05:00'
categories:
  - 'Asia'
  - 'East Asia'
  - 'Featured'
  - 'World'
---

# North Korea Confirms Troops Cleared Mines for Russia

**Seoul (TDI):** North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has confirmed that troops from his country were deployed to Russia’s Kursk region earlier this year to clear mines, in a rare public acknowledgment of Pyongyang’s role in hazardous operations abroad. The announcement came during a speech carried by state media on Saturday.

According to South Korean and Western intelligence, North Korea has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s nearly four-year-long invasion of Ukraine. Analysts suggest that in return, Russia provides North Korea with financial aid, military technology, food, and energy supplies, helping the isolated nation circumvent international sanctions targeting its nuclear and missile programs.

Kim Jong Un hailed the return of an engineering regiment, noting that the soldiers maintained morale by writing letters to their hometowns during breaks in mine-clearing operations, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The regiment endured a 120-day deployment starting in August, during which nine soldiers lost their lives. Kim awarded state honors to the deceased to commemorate their bravery.

“All of you, both officers and soldiers, displayed mass heroism overcoming unimaginable mental and physical burdens almost every day,” Kim said, praising the regiment for transforming a vast danger zone into a secure area in under three months.

**Read More: [North Korea Warns of ‘Offensive Action’ as US Aircraft Carrier Arrives in Busan](https://thediplomaticinsight.com/north-korea-warns-of-offensive-action/)**

State media images from the welcome ceremony in Pyongyang showed Kim embracing returning soldiers, some injured or in wheelchairs, and consoling families of the deceased. He also knelt before portraits of fallen soldiers, placing medals and flowers as a mark of respect. Kim reflected on the 120 days of deployment, acknowledging the emotional strain endured by families awaiting their loved ones’ return.

**Read More: [Japan Warns of North Korean Troops in Russia](https://thediplomaticinsight.com/japan-warns-of-north-korean-troops-in-russia/)**

Earlier this year, North Korea only confirmed in April that it had deployed troops to aid Russia and reported that its soldiers had been killed in combat. Kim has also made public appearances with leaders such as China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin and has previously declined a meeting offer from US President Donald Trump during his Asia trip in October.

Images released in past ceremonies highlighted Kim’s personal attention to returning soldiers, showing emotional embraces and tributes to those killed in action, underscoring the regime’s emphasis on military valor.