Kim Jong Un praises North Korean troops overseas

Kim Jong Un praised North Korean commanders and soldiers taking part in “overseas military operations” during remarks marking the country’s founding anniversary, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday.

Kim thanked the troops in comments for the September 9 anniversary of North Korea’s founding in 1948. The quoted remarks did not name Russia or Ukraine.

North Korea has become a key ally of Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with analysts saying Pyongyang has sent troops to support Russia’s war effort in return for economic benefits and military technology.

South Korea says about 2,000 North Korean troops have been killed in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine claimed in August that Moscow launched North Korean ballistic missiles in a strike that killed at least nine people and wounded dozens.

Kyiv has also said up to 50,000 North Korean troops are due to deploy to Russia, but it has not provided evidence for that claim or a timeframe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked South Korea to supply air defence systems to protect against Russian missiles; the request has gone unanswered by Seoul.