MOSCOW

The governor of Russia’s Kursk region on Saturday thanked North Korean servicemen for military cooperation.

In a statement on Telegram, Alexander Khinshtein said engineers from the 528th Engineering-Sapper Regiment of the Korean People's Army participated in clearing mines in the Kursk region.

Thanks to their efforts, nearly 42,400 hectares (104,773 acres) of land were cleared and over 1.5 million explosive devices neutralized, he said.

"This invaluable assistance enables the revival of our borderlands," he stressed.

North Korean media reported on Friday that soldiers from the 528th Engineering-Sapper Regiment returned to North Korea after completing their combat mission assigned by the Workers' Party of Korea in the Kursk region.