North Korea acknowledges its troops cleared mines for Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un welcoming soldiers from the Korean People's Army's 528th Regiment of Engineers, which returned from an overseas deployment in Russia's Kursk region during Moscow's war with Ukraine, in front of the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang on Dec 12, 2025. - KCNA/AFP

SEOUL: North Korea sent troops to clear mines in Russia's Kursk region earlier this year, leader Kim Jong Un said in a speech carried on Saturday by state media, a rare acknowledgement by Pyongyang of the deadly tasks assigned to its soldiers there.

Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to fight for Moscow as it presses ahead with its nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine, according to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies.