North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has lauded North Korean soldiers fighting in what he described as a “foreign land,” in a New Year’s message to his forces, according to state media. The message, addressed to what the agency called “overseas operations units,” congratulated the personnel for their “heroic” defense of the nation’s honor, urging them to “be brave,” without specifically mentioning Ukraine.
“While the entire country is filled with a festive atmosphere for the New Year, I miss you more than ever, you who are bravely fighting on the battlefields in the foreign land,” the North Korean leader was quoted as saying.
He added, “Pyongyang and Moscow support you.”
According to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies, Pyongyang has sent thousands of soldiers to fight alongside Russian forces in the war in Ukraine, which began nearly four years ago. North Korea has not confirmed these reports.
In his message, Kim praised the role of the deployed forces in strengthening what he described as the “invincible alliance” with Moscow, calling on the soldiers to continue fighting “for the fraternal Russian people.”
Earlier in December, Pyongyang acknowledged sending troops to remove mines in the Kursk region of Russia, near the Ukrainian border, in August 2025. Kim admitted in a speech on December 12th that at least nine soldiers from an engineering regiment were killed during the 120-day mission.
Relations between North Korea and Russia have grown closer since Moscow began its war in Ukraine in February 2022. In addition to sending troops to fight alongside Russia, Pyongyang has supplied Moscow with artillery shells, missiles, and long-range missile systems.
In return, Russia provides North Korea with financial assistance, military technology, food supplies, and energy, according to analysts.
