Russian Defense Minister Awards North Korean Troops for Actions in Kursk Region

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov has awarded North Korean troops, who helped liberate Russia’s Kursk Region from Ukrainian forces, with the Order of Courage during his visit to Pyongyang.

Last year, North Korean soldiers, acting under the June 2024 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Moscow and Pyongyang, joined the Russian operation to repel a large-scale Ukrainian incursion into the border region. They also participated in mine-clearing activities in the area.

During a ceremony on Sunday, Belousov said that it was “a truly special day in the record of the Russian-Korean military brotherhood.”

The North Korean troops who fought in Kursk Region are “the true heroes of our time, the elite of the Korean armed forces, their pride and their tower of strength,” he stressed.

“I express my deepest gratitude on behalf of the entire Russian people and personally for the assistance that they had provided,” the minister added.

Pyongyang’s servicemen received the Order of Courage, introduced in Russia in 1994 to recognize selfless acts of courage and valor, on the instructions of President Vladimir Putin, he noted.

Later in the day, Belousov and Russian Parliament Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin attended the opening of a museum and memorial dedicated to the North Korean soldiers, who helped liberate the Kursk Region.

The minister also held talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, discussing further intensification of military ties between the two countries.

There is desire in both Russia and North Korea to develop defense cooperation on “a sustainable, long-term basis,” he said.

Belousov told Kim that Moscow is “ready to sign a Russian-Korean Military Cooperation Plan for the 2027-2031 period this year.”

According to the minister, bilateral relations have reached “an unprecedentedly high level,” with more contacts in various fields expected between Moscow and Pyongyang in 2026.