As footage was released showing North Korean troops participating in a Russian operation to retake Kursk, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the military cooperation between the two countries. The U.S. State Department urged North Korea to halt all support for the war, stating, "Third countries like North Korea are prolonging the Russia-Ukraine war."

On the 29th (local time), Russian news agency TASS released footage showing North Korean troops jointly participating with Russian forces in a liberation operation in the Suzansky district of Kursk, near the Russian border. This followed the release of training scenes the previous day, with actual combat footage now made public.

North Korean soldiers are planting a flag on a destroyed building. TASS

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In the video, North Korean soldiers are seen conducting operations by taking turns firing at targets with Russian troops from inside a ruined building. There is also a scene where a flag is planted on a building that appears to be a destroyed church. The Russian military first planted the Russian flag on the building, after which North Korean soldiers waved a red flag featuring a sickle and hammer, symbolizing the former Soviet Union or the Communist Party, and then planted it next to the Russian flag. Additional footage shows Russian and North Korean soldiers examining a captured Ukrainian tank, as well as North Korean soldiers laying flowers at a memorial wall and saluting.

The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 29th that a delegation of the Korean People's Army, led by Park Youngil, Deputy Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, has departed Pyongyang to participate in the 3rd International Anti-Fascist Conference held in Russia. Screenshot from the Korean Central News Agency website Yonhap News Agency

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On the 26th, Russia announced the complete liberation of Kursk and, for the first time, confirmed North Korean participation in the Kursk battle. North Korea also acknowledged its troop deployment to Russia in a written statement from the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party, reported by the Korean Central News Agency the previous day. Subsequently, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his gratitude to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the deployment of North Korean forces. Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, mentioned that President Putin may reward the North Korean soldiers who participated in the Kursk battle.

Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, in 2019. On the 29th (local time), Russian news agency TASS released footage showing North Korean troops participating jointly with Russian forces in a liberation operation in the Suzansky district of Kursk, near the Russian border. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

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On the same day, the United States officially expressed regret over North Korea's troop deployment to Russia. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated during a briefing that "third countries like North Korea have prolonged the Russia-Ukraine war and must be held accountable." She added, "North Korea is not being helpful. Other countries like North Korea are fueling this disaster, and their actions are allowing the war to continue," thus criticizing their involvement.

She continued, "We remain concerned about North Korea's direct involvement in the war," and added, "Both the deployment of North Korean forces for Russia and any reciprocal support from Russia to North Korea must be halted." She specifically pointed out that Russia's training of North Korean troops "directly violates UN Security Council Resolutions 1718, 1874, and 2270," and reminded that "these resolutions broadly prohibit the provision or receipt of military training or assistance to North Korea."

Additionally, spokesperson Bruce, referring to U.S. mediation efforts for a ceasefire, stated that just before the briefing she had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, quoting him as saying, "Now is the time for both sides (Russia and Ukraine) to present concrete proposals to end the war. How things proceed from here will depend on the decision of President Donald Trump. If there is no progress, we will step back from our role as mediator."