Dear officers and soldiers of the 528th Regiment of Engineers of the Korean People’s Army,

I warmly welcome all of you, officers and soldiers of the regiment, back to your country. In performing your overseas mission you demonstrated the heroic spirit of our army and its specialized features with credit, and carried out your combat tasks in a responsible manner.

I really appreciate you all for coming back in good health.

Just as you yearned, every moment of the day on the foreign battleground, for all the precious things in your country, everyone in your country have never forgotten their beloved sons even for a moment.

Upon receiving the daily reports about your combats, I was deeply moved by the unyielding mettle you displayed in executing the orders from your Party and country death-defyingly. And each time, my wish grew stronger for every one of you to return safely and gladly.

In retrospect, for me, this can be said to be a year of longing; to the marrow of my bone, I have felt the pain of waiting that I have never experienced before.

One hundred and twenty days have passed since the moment when I had to dispatch you, combatants of this regiment, to the dangerous battleground; every day of this period seemed like a decade, just as when I had been waiting for the combatants of the special operations units, who had been involved in the liberation battles.

As the days went by, I found myself unable to accustom myself to, or get used to, worrying about the safety of the precious sons of this country who were fighting on the foreign battleground.

Now I feel at ease.

I am fairly relieved to see all of you come back like this.

You have fought very bravely.

True to the expectations of the Party, the country and all who are dear to your hearts, you displayed your mettle befitting true combatants, to the admiration of the world. Now you look more robust and dignified, and once again I warmly congratulate you, all the combatants of the regiment of engineers, for returning home with pride.

Comrades,

The 528th Regiment of Engineers is another proud combat unit that justly represents the matchless bravery and powerfulness of our army and its specialized features.

This regiment was formed on May 28 according to the decisions and orders of our Party Central Military Commission to build on the valuable victory in the overseas military operations. Early in August you, engineers of the regiment, left for the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, which your comrades-in-arms had retaken at the cost of their lives, and you achieved brilliant results in the course of performing your combat tasks there.

You fought in a life-and-death situation, braving the grave invisible dangers here and there, and your faith and willpower were tested every step of your way. Despite the harshness of the circumstances on the battleground, our engineers of the regiment never vacillated or hesitated, but all of you were courageous and responsible all the time.

As all of you, both officers and soldiers, displayed mass heroism overcoming unimaginable mental and physical burdens almost every day, you could work a miracle of turning a vast area of danger zone into a safe and secure one in a matter of less than three months, the task which was believed to be impossible to be carried out even in several years.

The cardinal importance of the battle results the regiment achieved this time lies evidently in that they were not feats performed by a few well-trained fighters but the fruition of mass heroism displayed by all the officers and soldiers.

In the rigorous battleground, where even a trifle slip or carelessness was not allowed and where even going to and from the battleground was accompanied by combats, you, caring for your comrades-in-arms first, shielded one another from the bursting shrapnel, and fulfilled your missions unto death even when you were critically wounded. Your ennobling comradeship, matchless self-sacrificing spirit and indomitability deserve everybody’s admiration, I believe.

I was convinced that our regiment of engineers would fight like that as they were ordered by the Party Central Committee.

Your brilliant battle results were also associated with the devoted efforts of the signalmen and medics who accomplished their tasks faithfully risking their lives almost every day.

All the officers and soldiers were equally brave, competent, devoted and heroic, indeed.

The fundamental key to the invincible fighting strength our regiment of engineers demonstrated in the alien battleground lies in the revolutionary fighting spirit that prevailed in the entire unit.

As definite precedence was given to political work, which was conducted in an ingenious, fresh and prompt way to suit the frontline situation, the spiritual and moral merits of our army were fully displayed typically to demonstrate the unconditional implementation of orders, loyalty, patriotism, unity between officers and soldiers, and comradeship.

What impressed me particularly were the performances given by company art groups in humble barracks on the holidays of September 9 and October 10, and the soldiers singing revolutionary songs on their way to the battleground and reciting the poems of their creation and writing letters to their home towns and villages at breaks of the mine-clearing hours.

Such a way of life could hardly be seen in such deadly circumstances unless they are men of optimism who are strong in faith and will as they are entirely filled with affection and respect for their Party, their country, their home towns and their parents and siblings and are firmly convinced of their victorious cause.

No other armies could imitate our service personnel’s ennobling ideological mentality of considering it a source of their honour instead of death to sacrifice themselves for their country, nor could they produce at any exorbitant cost mass heroism, a powerful weapon unique to our army.

The armed villains of the West, armed with whatever latest military hardware they are, cannot match this revolutionary army with an unfathomable spiritual depth.

It is regrettable that I cannot enumerate now all the combat feats performed by the hundreds of officers and soldiers of the regiment of engineers.

However, these feats will shine forever in the history of our army’s overseas military operations as well as in the history of the unit of engineers.

Comrades,

You left your homeland without much fanfare on receiving the order of the Party, but you have returned with something really great that adds to the glory of your country, your fellow people and army.

Your regiment accomplished the order unto death, but there was no reward or remuneration for it. Yet, it has earned the most valuable thing in the world that cannot be bartered for anything else.

That is the trust and confidence of the Party, the country and the people in our army.

Our army should expect nothing other than the trust of the Party, the country and the people.

By displaying an unrivalled fighting spirit and writing legendary tales in your combat records, you have faithfully and wonderfully lived up to the trust and confidence of your Party, your state and your fellow people in you.

The regiment of engineers has once again etched in history and highlighted in front of the world the unique mightiness of our army that has held ideological and spiritual perfectness, the core of which is the absolute loyalty to the Workers’ Party of Korea, as a banner of making itself a strong army. Herein lies the special significance of the feats performed by the regiment.

I, in the name of the Party and the country, extend thanks to all the officers and soldiers of the 528th Regiment of Engineers, who, by displaying matchless mass heroism and indomitable fighting mettle, carried out to the death the combat order issued by the Party and fully demonstrated once again the prestige of our state and the fame of the Korean People’s Army.

Comrades,

The priceless blood and sweat the regiment shed and the invaluable sacrifice it made in the course of perfectly carrying out the combat order of the Party will never remain in vain.

The immortal feats and exploits you performed will shine forever along with the fame of our powerful state and army and with our socialist country that will prosper infinitely.

Except the heartrending loss of nine lives, all the officers and soldiers of the regiment have returned to the motherland, and I express my thanks to you for this.

All the officers and soldiers of the armed forces of our Republic will regard the fighting spirit and exploits of the 528th Regiment of Engineers as another model. And your parents, siblings, wives and children, and the teachers of your alma maters will feel greatly proud of you.

I really feel proud of you, ranks of stalwart soldiers, and your powerful combat unit.

I hope that in the future, too, you will continue to perform brilliant exploits on the sacred road of safeguarding our great state and people.

The motherland decided to confer the Order of Freedom and Independence on your regiment in order to highly appreciate and add eternal glory to its bravery and brilliant combat feats.

In addition, it decided to award the title of Hero of the DPRK, Order of the National Flag 1st Class and Order of Soldier’s Honour 1st Class to the nine engineers who, to our regret, fell in the course of carrying out their combat orders.

Today I, upon authorization of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the government of the Republic, will confer the Order of Freedom and Independence 1st Class on the colours of your regiment, its banner of victory and glory, and fix the orders on the portraits of our fallen comrades-in-arms.

I express my gratitude and pay ennobling respect to you, who are always faithful to your country, for your devoted service.

Long live the heroic Korean People’s Army!