North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pledged state support and a “beautiful life” for the families of troops who died while fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, state media reported on Saturday.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim on Friday hosted families of soldiers described as “martyrs,” offering condolences and vowing to care for them as part of the nation’s duty to honor their sacrifice. North Korean state television broadcast images of Kim bowing deeply to grieving parents, widows, and children, with many visibly moved during the event.
Kim praised the fallen soldiers for their “heroic feats” in Russia’s Kursk region, framing their sacrifice as a defense of national honor. He told families that their loved ones had not written to him directly but entrusted him with the care of their children and relatives. “The country will provide you with a beautiful life in the country defended at the cost of the lives of the martyrs,” Kim said.
The gathering marked the latest acknowledgment of North Korea’s direct military involvement in Ukraine. Pyongyang and Moscow had long denied or remained silent about troop deployments, but in April both leaders confirmed the presence of North Korean forces in Russia. On Saturday, state television aired a 25-minute documentary titled Operation Kursk Liberation, showing purported North Korean troops in combat against Ukrainian forces. Reuters noted it could not independently verify the footage.
KCNA revealed that Kim made the decision to dispatch troops to Russia in August 2023, two months after signing a mutual defense pact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The deployment is a clear sign of the deepening military alliance between the two isolated states.
While North Korea has not disclosed the scale of casualties, South Korea’s intelligence service estimates about 600 North Korean soldiers have died out of a deployment of roughly 15,000. Western intelligence suggests the figure could be much higher, with over 6,000 casualties.
Kim is expected to meet Putin again in China next week during a military parade commemorating Japan’s World War Two surrender. It will mark their third meeting in two years, underscoring a rapidly intensifying partnership amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
