North Korea's Kim Jong Un awards soldiers who fought in Russia, KCNA says

FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during an event to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the country's liberation from Japan's colonial rule, in Pyongyang, North Korea, August 14, 2025, in this picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lauded "heroic" North Korean troops who fought for Russia in the war against Ukraine, in a ceremony decorating soldiers of the army's overseas operation, state media KCNA said on Friday.

Kim said in a speech that "the combat activities of overseas operational forces... where the world had been focused proved without regret the power of the heroic (North Korean) army," and said the "liberation of Kursk" proved the "fighting spirit of the heroes," KCNA said.