North Korean state media images showed leader Kim Jong-un honoring the flag-draped coffins of North Korean soldiers killed helping Russia fight Ukraine, as the South Korean Ministry of Defense said yesterday it saw no signs of further troop deployments.
The nuclear-armed North has become one of Russia’s main allies during its more than three-year-long Ukraine offensive, sending thousands of troops and container loads of weapons to help the Kremlin oust Ukrainian forces from Kursk.
About 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, said South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun, citing information from Seoul’s spy agency.
Photo: Korean Central Televeision via AFPTV
The images of a visibly emotional Kim mourning the fallen soldiers were broadcast by the official Korean Central Television, released as part of an event in Pyongyang on Sunday attended by Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova.
It marked the one-year anniversary of a military pact signed by the two countries, which includes a mutual defense clause.
Kim was shown placing a North Korean flag over a coffin during a ceremony for the return of the remains of North Korean soldiers who were deployed and killed in Moscow’s war against Kyiv.
The footage also showed images of North Korean soldiers on the battlefield, accompanied by captions that said: “Oh, our heroes, shining stars of my homeland” and “those who gave their lives without hesitation to defend honor shine like radiant stars.”
North Korean and Russian attendees were shown bursting into tears as they watched the tribute.
A photograph of a document, purportedly penned by Kim, was also featured, with a caption saying he had “approved operational plans for the liberation of Kursk and issued attack orders to special operations units” in the final months of last year.
The North Korean leader attended the performance with his teenage daughter Kim Ju-ae — widely seen by many analysts as his likely successor.
North Korea only confirmed it had deployed troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine in April and admitted that its soldiers had been killed in combat.
South Korean lawmaker Lee said last week that the North would send more troops to Russia to assist in its war against Ukraine, possibly as early as this month, citing Seoul’s spy agency.
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