More than a dozen of North Korea’s top military officers are returning home from Russia, suggesting Pyongyang’s contribution to the war in Ukraine could take a back seat during the ongoing peace talks, according to a new report.
The North Korean commanders, including Col. Gen. Kim Yong Bok and Maj. Gen. Sin Kum Chol, appeared suddenly in a welcome home ceremony with leader Kim Jong Un praising their accomplishments in taking back Russia’s Kursk region, according to reports from Pyongyang on Thursday.
The general’s return is likely a signal that Russia is confident it can keep Kursk and fend off any Ukrainian counterattack, all while avoiding questions about Pyongyang’s involvement in the war, Michael Madden, a North Korea expert at the Stimson Center think tank, told the Wall Street Journal.
“The North Koreans shouldn’t be a bone of contention at the negotiating table as they are operating on Russian territory,” Madden noted.
North Korea had deployed around 12,000 troops to Russia to help Moscow retake the Kursk region, where Ukraine had mounted a successful counter-invasion last summer.
The Pyongyang fighters have remained solely on Russian soil, allowing the deployment of the foreign fighters to be framed as part of the two nations’ mutual-defense pact.
Both Russia and North Korea had remained silent about the presence of Pyongyang troops in Russia for months until footage aired this spring of Kim and his entourage holding a tribute for all the soldiers slain in the war.
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During the welcome home ceremony, Kim was seen happily greeting his returning generals and giving them hugs as he touted their victory.
“Ours is a heroic army,” Kim said, according to KCNA state media.
“Our army is now doing what it ought to do and what needs to be done. It will do so in the future, too,” he added.
Along with providing Moscow with manpower for its meatgrinder in Kursk, North Korea has supplied Russia with mass artillery and munitions for the war.
Pyongyang has also vowed to ship off an additional 6,000 workers to assist Russia in its war reconstruction efforts.
