North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pledged to provide a “beautiful life” for the families of North Korean soldiers who died fighting for Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine. In an emotional national ceremony held on Friday, Kim honored the fallen troops and expressed personal sorrow over the loss of life.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the ceremony was attended by families of the deceased, including parents, wives, and children. The soldiers were reportedly part of an overseas operations unit deployed to Russia—a deployment that had long been rumored but was only recently acknowledged by Pyongyang and Moscow.
“They did not write even a short letter to me,” Kim told the families, “but I think they must have entrusted their families, including those beloved children, to me.”
Visibly moved, Kim bowed deeply before the grieving families and praised their “tenacity, patriotism, and justice,” stating that it was the families’ strength that had empowered the soldiers’ heroism.
“You are the most patriotic people in the world,” he added. “We will provide you with a beautiful life in the country defended at the cost of the lives of the martyrs.”
State media also aired a 25-minute documentary titled Operation Kursk Liberation, which for the first time publicly confirmed North Korea’s military involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The film featured scenes of North Korean troops allegedly participating in battles in Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.
Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage.
The film revealed that Kim had made the decision to deploy troops to Russia in August 2024, shortly after signing a security and mutual defense treaty with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The existence of this treaty had previously been suspected but not formally detailed until now.
Neither Pyongyang nor Moscow has disclosed the full scale of North Korea’s military deployment or the number of casualties. However, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service estimates that approximately 600 North Korean soldiers have died out of a reported 15,000 deployed. Western intelligence sources suggest even higher numbers—more than 6,000 casualties to date.
This ceremony marked the latest step in solidifying the growing military alliance between North Korea and Russia, which has increasingly alarmed the international community. Kim and Putin are scheduled to meet again in China next week during a military parade commemorating the end of World War II in Asia. This will be their third meeting in two years.
The deepening alliance between North Korea and Russia, particularly amid global sanctions on both countries, is drawing concern from the West. Analysts warn that the deployment of North Korean troops to an active war zone could violate international laws and escalate tensions in an already volatile global security environment.
As Kim Jong Un promises comfort to the families of the fallen, his public acknowledgment of North Korean involvement in the war marks a significant and controversial turning point in the country’s foreign policy.
The scale and implications of this involvement remain unclear, but it signals a new era of military cooperation between two heavily sanctioned regimes.
