Kim Jong-un paid tribute to the North Korean soldiers killed in Russia's war against Ukraine, laying his hands on their coffins as they were returned to their homeland.
It is a rare public admission that North Korea's military has suffered casualties in the conflict, The Guardian reports.
Kim Jong-un publicly honors fallen North Korean soldiers
A gala event was held at a theater in East Pyongyang to mark the first anniversary of the signing of a military treaty between North Korea and Russia.
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During the gala concert, which combined performances by North Korean and Russian artists, photographs of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un standing next to six coffins covered with national flags were shown on the screen.
He placed his hands on the coffins in what observers said was a rare public acknowledgement of losses in armed conflict.
The footage was the culmination of an event that included speeches, celebrations of the defense alliance with Russia, and the display of symbolic scenes—military personnel from both countries with flags, as well as a bloody diary of a North Korean soldier allegedly found on a battlefield in Russia's Kursk region.
According to Yonhap News Agency, it contained the words:
— The decisive moment has finally arrived. Let us wage this holy battle bravely, with boundless love and the trust of our beloved Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
It is not yet known when exactly the ceremony took place, but the winter clothing worn by Kim, his sister Kim Yo Jong and Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui suggests it may have happened months ago.
Deceased DPRK soldiers to be presented as war heroes
For a long time, the DPRK denied the participation of its troops in the war, and then Pyongyang moved to create a heroic narrative.
According to Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, the DPRK authorities want to present the dead as heroes of victory.
He noted that the showing of these images became possible only after both sides officially acknowledged the participation of North Korean troops in the war and announced the “successful return” of the Kursk region.
A television broadcast of the concert on state-run KRT showed Kim looking emotional and sitting next to Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova and Kim's daughter, Ju-ae. People in the audience were shown wiping away tears.
According to The Korea Herald, this is the first time North Korean television has shown soldiers sent to Russia to a domestic audience.
State news agency KCNA said the event strengthened confidence in “true internationalist duty and blood-sealed friendship between the armies and peoples of both countries.”
In April, the leaders of the DPRK and Russia confirmed for the first time the presence of North Korean troops at the front, calling them “heroes.” At the same time, Kim announced plans to erect a monument to fallen soldiers in Pyongyang and lay flowers at their graves.
According to estimates by South Korean parliamentarians, the DPRK has sent about 15,000 soldiers to war since last fall. Of these, 600 have died and another 4,700 have been wounded. According to South Korean intelligence, new waves of troop deployments are possible in July or August.
North Korea has also supplied Russia with significant amounts of ammunition, artillery shells, ballistic missiles and other weapons. In return, the Kremlin has provided North Korea with military technology, including satellites, economic aid and other resources.
