North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has publicly defended his country’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war, declaring it a legitimate exercise of national sovereignty in support of what he called a “brother nation,” state-run KCNA reported on Saturday.
“Our participation in the conflict was just, and it falls within the sovereign rights of our Republic,” Kim said in a statement. He praised North Korean soldiers involved in the “Kursk operation,” calling them “heroes and the highest representatives of the nation’s honour.”
The remarks follow North Korea’s first official acknowledgment in late April that it had deployed over 10,000 troops and supplied weapons to Russia, a move previously shrouded in secrecy despite mounting international suspicion. The disclosure came amid deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow under a sweeping strategic partnership treaty signed last year by Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kim also issued a warning to Washington, stating that Pyongyang “would not hesitate to authorise the use of military force” if the United States continued what he described as “military provocations against Russia.”
