The DPRK has shown for the first time a photo of Kim Jong-un mourning soldiers killed in the war against Ukraine.
North Korea's state propaganda media have shown for the first time footage of dictator Kim Jong-un mourning his soldiers killed during Russia's war against Ukraine.
This was reported by the South Korean resources Yonhap and The Korea Herald.
Pictures released by Korean Central Television showed Kim Jong-un ceremoniously placing a North Korean flag on a coffin during a ceremony to return the remains of North Korean soldiers killed in Russia's war against Ukraine. His sister Kim Yo-jong and Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui were also shown receiving the remains of North Korean soldiers killed in Russia.
Photos of Kim were displayed in the background at a joint event hosted by North Korea and Russia in Pyongyang on Sunday to mark the first anniversary of their signing of a “comprehensive strategic partnership.”
Participants in the repatriation ceremony, including Kim, were wearing winter clothing, suggesting that the event likely took place several months ago and that the remains may have begun to return as early as winter.
Photos of dead North Korean soldiers were shown after group photos of North Korean soldiers with Russian troops in the combat zone.
Pyongyang also revealed for the first time via on-stage video footage that Kim Jong Un had approved operational plans for North Korean troops in the Kursk region and ordered attacks to be carried out between October 22 and December 22, 2024.
This is the first time that North Korean state media has shown videos and photos of its soldiers sent to Russia that have been made available to the North Korean public.
“North Korea probably wanted to portray the dead soldiers not just as victims but as part of a 'victory narrative,'” said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification.
The Russian side was represented by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova. Before the concert, Kim Jong-un and Lyubimova held talks.
It should be noted that before the visit to the DPRK, Lyubimova was visited by the former Minister of Defense of the aggressor country, Sergei Shoigu.
Earlier, analysts from the Institute for the Study of War reported that North Korea could deploy its troops to the front in Ukraine as early as July or August 2025 .
