North Korean Regiment Returns From Russian-Ukrainian Frontlines to Receive Hero’s Welcome

Defence affairs - military watch

The Korean People’s Army’s most high profile military unit deployed for operations in the Russian Kursk region, the 528th Regiment of Engineers, has returned to the country after completing an assignment to clear mines left by Ukrainian and supporting Western forces.

Chairman of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party Kim Jong Un attended a welcoming ceremony for the returning personnel, praising them for their "heroic" conduct and "mass heroism" in fulfilling orders issued by the Party during their 120-day deployment. Video footage showed the chairman hugging a soldier in a wheelchair, and soldiers and officials gathered to welcome the troops, as uniformed personnel from the engineering regiment disembarked from a returning aircraft.

The 528th Regiment of Engineers de-mined an area of 42,400 hectares in Kursk, destroying over 1.5 million explosives, with the region’s governor Alexander Khinshtein referring to their operations as “invaluable… without which our borderline territory cannot be rebuilt.” During their operations, they were seen equipped with Russian VR-2-02 combat uniforms, Saiga-12K shotguns, RPK-74 automatic rifles, AK-74M rifles, and a wide range of mine clearance equipment. The personnel were reportedly involved in combat as Ukrainian forces continued to launch drone attacks into the region. The border between North and South Korea is among the most heavily mined regions in the world, with the Korean People’s Army’s expertise in mine warfare being highly prized. 

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in June announced plans for the Korean People’s Army to dispatch 1000 mine clearance experts and 5000 military engineers to support de-mining and reconstruction efforts in Kursk, with the state run Korean Central News Agency subsequently confirming that the personnel were dispatched in early August. Alongside de-mining support, Korean People’s Army personnel have also bee involved in frontline operations, with multiple regiments having been dispatched following a Ukrainain-led incursion into Kursk in August 2024. The operation was supported personnel from NATO member states, such as contractors from the American Forward Observation Group and multiple Polish contractor units, with limited capabilities of defending Russian forces meaning this incursion was only fully repelled in April 2025.