New images released by North Korean state media yesterday showed leader Kim Jong Un kneeling before portraits of soldiers killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine, as well as hugging an emotional survivor of the conflict.
The images showed an overcome Kim presenting medals, placing them beside portraits of the fallen and consoling the returned soldiers, as Pyongyang’s leadership hailed the soldiers as “heroes”.
South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have said the North sent over 10,000 soldiers to Russia in 2024 – primarily to the Kursk region – along with artillery shells, missiles and long-range rocket systems.
Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, Seoul has said.
At the ceremony held at the Workers’ Party headquarters in Pyongyang, portraits of the fallen soldiers, along with their names, were displayed on stage, the images showed.
There, Kim praised the “admirable” troops “who returned home with great honour”. — AFP
