Star Metro - North Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia's Kursk

The admission comes just days after Russia confirmed the North's participation, with South Korean and Western intelligence agencies having long reported that Pyongyang sent more than 10,000 soldiers to help in Kursk last year.

"The sub-units of our armed forces," the North's Central Military Commission said in the KCNA report, had "participated in the operations for liberating the Kursk areas according to the order of the head of state of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea".

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's decision to deploy the troops, it said, was in accordance with a mutual defence treaty.

"They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honour of the motherland," Kim said according to KCNA.

Kim added that a monument to the "battle feats" would soon be built in the capital, and referred to "the tombstones of the fallen soldiers", publicly confirming that North Korean troops had been killed in combat.

The country must "take important national measures to specially honour and care for the families of war veterans," said Kim.

According to the Central Military Commission, "the operations for liberating the Kursk area to repel the adventurous invasion of the Russian Federation by the Ukrainian authorities were victoriously concluded".

Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov on Saturday hailed the "heroism" of the North Korean soldiers, who he said "provided significant assistance in defeating the group of Ukrainian armed forces".

South Korea's Ministry of Defence said Monday during a regular press briefing that North Korea's troop deployment violates UN Security resolutions.

"By officially acknowledging it, (the North) has admitted to its own criminal acts," their spokesperson said.

- 'Ease internal backlash' -

Experts believe the decision to publicly disclose the deployment had been agreed on in advance by North Korea and Russia.

"The two countries agreed to disclose the deployment because they judged that the benefits of compensation for the troop deployment outweighed the potential damage to their international image," Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.

By promising state benefits to the deployed troops, North Korea could also "sufficiently ease internal backlash," he said, adding that the move reflected Pyongyang's confidence.

"North Korea likely aimed to showcase that victory was achieved thanks to their involvement, thereby securing greater rewards from Russia," Yang added.

Despite Moscow claiming the "liberation" of its western region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that Ukraine's army was still fighting in Kursk.

Pyongyang's Central Military Commission said the operation was proof of the "firm militant friendship between the two countries of the DPRK and Russia", using an acronym for North Korea's official name.

"The question now is whether Kim Jong Un will attend Russia's Victory Day celebrations on May 9," said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies.

Russia has pledged to hold its largest-ever Victory Day celebrations on May 9 to mark 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany, featuring a massive military parade and an address from President Vladimir Putin.

"While the likelihood of Kim attending the event appears relatively low, it cannot be entirely ruled out," said Lim.

"The recapture of the Kursk region could serve as a positive justification for Kim's attendance at the Victory Day celebrations," added Yang.

burs-hs/dhc

F.T. Michaud--SMC