North Korean leader Kim Jong-un touted a newly built street of homes for families of soldiers killed supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine, state media reported yesterday, with photographs showing him accompanied by his daughter.
North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to fight for Russia, according to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies, and Seoul has estimated that about 2,000 have been killed.
North Korea is receiving financial aid, military technology, and food and energy supplies from Russia in return, analysts said.
Photo: Korean Central News Agency via EPA
Pyongyang in the past few month has intensified propaganda glorifying troops deployed to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine, such as establishing a memorial wall and building a museum, which analysts said is an effort to bolster internal unity and curb potential public discontent.
“The new street has been built thanks to the ardent desire of our motherland that wishes that ... its excellent sons, who defended the most sacred things by sacrificing their most valuable things, will live forever,” Kim said in a speech released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Yesterday’s report did not mention Russia, but Kim last week pledged to “unconditionally support” all of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies and decisions.
Photo: AFP
“Before their death, the heroic martyrs must have pictured in their mind’s eye their dear families living in the ever-prospering country,” Kim added.
Photos released by KCNA show Kim touring the new homes built for the families on Saeppyol Street, alongside his teenage daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju-ae, widely viewed as his heir apparent.
The South Korean National Intelligence Service last week said that she had been clearly “designated as a successor,” citing her participation in high-profile events with her father.
One photo shows Kim Jong-un speaking with what appeared to be the family members of a fallen soldier on a sofa, his daughter standing behind them.
Other photos show families checking the utilities in their new apartments.
The timing of the street inauguration is a “highly calculated political move to justify its soldier deployment” ahead of the party congress, Korea Institute for National Unification analyst Hong Min said.
“It visualizing the state providing concrete compensation to the families of fallen soldiers ... as a symbolic showcase,” he said.
Additional reporting by AP
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