SEOUL, December 13. /TASS/. The officers and combatants of the 528th Regiment of Engineers who had been dispatched to an overseas operational area, have returned to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea after carrying out the combat order of the Workers' Party of Korea in the Kursk Region, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
The ceremony of welcoming their return took place on December 12. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the ceremony. "I warmly welcome all of you, officers and soldiers of the regiment, back to your country. In performing your overseas mission you demonstrated the heroic spirit of our army and its specialized features with credit, and carried out your combat tasks in a responsible manner," he said.
The regiment was formed on May 28 "according to the decisions and orders of our Party Central Military Commission to build on the valuable victory in the overseas military operations," Kim Jong Un said. "Early in August you, engineers of the regiment, left for the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, which your comrades-in-arms had retaken at the cost of their lives, and you achieved brilliant results in the course of performing your combat tasks there," he stressed.
Nine servicemen were killed "in the course of carrying out their combat orders," Kim Jong Un noted, adding that it was decided to award the title of Hero of the DPRK to them.
On June 17, Russia’s Security Council quoted its Secretary Sergey Shoigu as saying after a visit to North Korea that North Korean leader had decided to send 1,000 combat engineers and 5,000 military builders to help restore the Kursk Region. On November 14, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was grateful and appreciative of North Korean sappers for their selfless and heroic assistance in demining the Kursk Region. In the summer of 2024, Russia and the DPRK signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement, which includes a clause on mutual assistance in the event of an armed attack on one of the parties.