From Pyongyang to Kursk — a mutual defence pact sealed in blood is redrawing the global order.
Pyongyang: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has pledged unwavering loyalty to Russia, vowing Pyongyang’s support as the country mourns more than 600 of its own soldiers killed fighting in Ukraine.
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov led a Kremlin delegation to Pyongyang on Sunday for the completion of a memorial honouring North Korean troops killed in Russia’s Kursk region.
Kim attended personally, leaving a handwritten message at the memorial that read: “The souls of the fallen will live forever with the great honour they defended.”
Speaking through state media KCNA, Kim declared that North Korea would continue to fully support Russia’s policies of defending its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security interests. No qualification. No diplomatic caveat. No expiry date.
North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Kursk. Approximately 600 have been killed, according to South Korea’s intelligence agency, and thousands more wounded. These soldiers, many with no real combat experience since the Korean War, were deployed into one of Europe’s most brutal frontlines.
Kim has transformed their deaths into symbols of loyalty and sacrifice — using state ceremonies to signal to his own population that Russia’s war is North Korea’s war too.
The UK Ministry of Defence has formally assessed that North Korean forces are no longer auxiliary troops — they are fully integrated into Russia’s war-fighting structure, playing leadership roles on key frontlines and conducting drone reconnaissance operations.
Ukraine has warned the UN Security Council that Russia intends to permanently integrate at least five North Korean brigades — each 2,000 to 3,000 strong — into its armed forces.
The blood of 600 soldiers has purchased what Pyongyang sought for decades — a powerful, militarily committed great-power ally. For the world, the ceremony in Pyongyang confirms what many feared: the war in Ukraine is no longer a European conflict. It is a global one.
