North Korean leader Kim Jong Un paid tribute to the country’s soldiers who fought on Russia’s side in the conflict against Ukraine, praising their “heroic” spirit during a grand ceremony that featured tributes, concerts, and banquets, according to reports from state media KCNA on Friday.
In his address, Kim declared that the military exploits of the overseas operational forces had demonstrated the full strength of North Korea’s army without hesitation or regret. He further emphasized that the so-called “liberation of Kursk” had become a symbol of the determination and valor of the North Korean fighters, KCNA reported.
During the event, Kim personally laid flowers at a memorial wall dedicated to fallen soldiers who died in operations abroad. The ceremony also included a concert for returning troops from Russia, followed by a banquet attended by bereaved family members of those who had lost their lives, highlighting the regime’s attempt to glorify their sacrifices.
This commemoration followed a series of similar public gestures by Pyongyang to honor North Korean troops who served in the Russian war effort. Just a day earlier, KCNA noted that Kim had met with officers from the overseas operational unit and extended tributes to soldiers who had been killed while fighting in Ukraine.
According to estimates from South Korea’s intelligence agency, approximately 600 of the 15,000 North Korean troops deployed to Russia have been killed in combat against Ukrainian forces, a figure cited by South Korean lawmakers in April.
