Overview

• North Korean state media reported an awards ceremony in Pyongyang honoring the Korean People’s Army overseas operations unit that supported Russian forces in the Ukraine war.
• Kim Jong Un praised the units as “hero” forces and delivered a speech lauding their achievements at the Workers’ Party headquarters.
• Pyongyang installed a memorial called the “Wall of Remembrance” displaying more than 100 portraits of the dead, with bereaved families invited to the event.
• Kim met returning commanders on August 20 and said the military is carrying out necessary operations and will continue to do so in support of Russia.
• South Korea’s intelligence agency estimates North Korea has sent about 15,000 personnel since October 2024, and Russia announced in June that roughly 6,000 additional North Korean engineers would go to the Kursk region for mine-clearing and reconstruction.