Mine-clearing operations in the Kursk Region, which was earlier freed from Ukrainian forces, are still underway MOSCOW, November 14. /TASS/. Russia will always remember the North Korean military’s vital role in the hazardous and challenging task of clearing mines in the Kursk Region, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. "We will never forget this assistance [from North Korea in mine clearance of the Kursk region]," he said at a news briefing. "This work continues, it is