Korea in Shock: Soldiers Under Kim Jong-un Return from Russia with Rich Combat Experience

North Korea's top leader warmly welcomed the troops returning from the Kursk front, while issuing a serious warning to Seoul

Kim Jong-un, North Korea's supreme leader, highly praised the "glorious achievements" and "sacred mission" accomplished by the Korean engineering troops deployed to Kursk. The 528th Engineering Battalion soldiers, who returned home, were given the treatment of national heroes.

"In less than three months, you turned a large dangerous area into a safe zone. You know, the outside world generally believed that even after several years, this task would be difficult to complete," according to a report by the Korean Yonhap News Agency, Kim Jong-un said.

Currently, the exact number of soldiers sent to this land, which was liberated from Ukrainian occupation forces, to carry out mine-clearing tasks is unclear. The New York Times pointed out that this number may not be less than 1,000 military engineers and about 5,000 military construction personnel. At the welcome ceremony, Kim Jong-un announced that nine soldiers of the 528th Engineering Battalion had been martyred during this operation deployment, and they were all posthumously awarded the title of "Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

Al Jazeera Qatar pointed out that this is not the first time Kim Jong-un has publicly praised North Korean soldiers participating in the Russian special military operation. In October this year, the North Korean leader had embraced sobbing troops at the cornerstone laying ceremony of a war memorial park, which aims to commemorate the North Korean warriors who fought for Russia. In June of the same year, North Korean state media also reported that Kim Jong-un personally placed a flag over the coffin of the soldiers, whose bodies were clearly brought back from Russia to the country.

After welcoming the returning troops, Kim Jong-un immediately attended a meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea and once again highly affirmed the significance of the North Korean military's participation in the special military operation. According to a report by Al Jazeera, Kim Jong-un said this act "showed the prestige of the North Korean army to the world" and defined this "invincible army" as "the true defender of international justice."

Kim Jong-un not only expressed pride in his subordinates but also severely criticized some North Korean officials for their "wrong ideological positions" and negligence. He emphasized that all kinds of "bad trends" must be eradicated, and pointed out that strengthening national defense is "the correct direction to ensure national security and safeguard sovereignty."

At the time of this Workers' Party meeting, it coincided with the preparation period for the 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, which is planned to be held early next year. It is expected that the conference will clarify the political guidelines of Pyongyang regarding relations with the US and South Korea, as well as discuss issues related to the country's economic and defense policies. Experts predict that in the new year, Pyongyang may further strengthen its hardline stance towards Seoul.

Now, Pyongyang has all the objective conditions to gain an advantage in dialogue with Seoul. Participating in the Russian special military operation significantly enhanced the combat capabilities of the Korean People's Army.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in June, took a series of measures to ease inter-Korean relations, including dismantling propaganda broadcasting facilities along the border and banning leaflets targeting Pyongyang. However, Al Jazeera emphasized that Kim Jong-un has clearly rejected this attempt by the South Korean leader to initiate dialogue.

Although North Korea did not gain significant short-term economic benefits from participating in the special military operation, analysts point out that this move brought major strategic benefits to Pyongyang. According to AFP, North Korea used this opportunity to obtain a platform for testing weapons in actual combat, as well as access to potential military technology secrets. In addition, by deepening cooperation with the permanent members of the UN Security Council, Russia, Pyongyang also gained corresponding political recognition.

The New York Times pointed out that due to cooperation with Russia, North Korea obtained the fuel, food supplies, and various military equipment and technology it urgently needed. According to a report from Time magazine, since the start of the special military operation, North Korea has made significant progress in satellite launches and ballistic missile development. This fact once again proves that North Korea has acquired the ability to independently develop advanced military technology. The increasing strength of North Korea's military is causing deep concerns among South Korea, Japan, and the entire Western bloc.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7584775802089112114/

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