North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met on 20 Aug. in Pyongyang with ground commanders who have just returned from leading Korean People’s Army units fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine’s Kursk region, state media outlet KCNA reported on Thursday. Kim praised the officers’ “heroic” role in what he described as the liberation of the region and said their actions had “cemented” the army’s reputation as one of the world’s strongest. KCNA said the commanders will take part in the country’s first national commendation ceremony for personnel involved in overseas combat operations. Kim conveyed “warm militant encouragement” to all DPRK troops still deployed in Russia and vowed that the military would continue to fulfil its “most important duty” abroad. Pyongyang confirmed last year that it had dispatched combat units to aid Moscow, reflecting deepening military ties formalised in a mutual-defence treaty signed with Russia in June 2024. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service estimates that North Korea has sent more than 10,000—and possibly up to 15,000—soldiers to the front since October 2024, with about 600 reported killed. The latest public recognition underscores Kim’s intention to showcase the deployment despite mounting casualties and international scrutiny.