North Korean media has released rare footage of a ceremony to commemorate Pyongyang troops killed in Russia’s war in Ukraine. The footage broadcast by Korean Central Television on Sunday shows North Korean leader Kim Jung-un paying tribute to the repatriated soldiers by placing a North Korean flag over their coffin and holding back his tears.
The rare footage is North Korea’s first acknowledgement of its fatalities in Russia’s over three-year-war in Ukraine. Images of soldiers waving Russian and North Korean flags were displayed on the screen in the event that was held at East Pyongyang Grand Theatre. One of the images purportedly showed a North Korean soldier’s blood-stained notebook retrieved from the frontline. According to South Korean Yonhap news agency, the messages in the notebook read: “The decisive moment has finally come,” and “Let us bravely fight this sacred battle with the boundless love and trust bestowed upon us by our beloved Supreme Commander” – a reference to Kim.
The footage shared by the state media also showed images of North Korean soldiers in 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 honour shine like radiant stars."
The event also featured images celebrating a mutual defence pact signed by Kim Jung-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang in June last year, which includes a mutual defence clause. The date when the repatriation ceremony was held is unknown.
North Korea has for months denied its troops’ involvement in Russia’s war of invasion in Ukraine. Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more injured fighting in Russia, According to South Korea’s spy agency. Pyongyang sent 15,000 soldiers to fight in Russia’s war of invasion since last autumn, with troops stationed mostly in Russia’s border Kursk region. Meanwhile, North Korean authorities revealed that Kim Jong Un had approved operational plans for North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region and ordered attacks between 22 October and 22 December 2024.
