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North Korea's Kim shown honouring troops killed in Russia-Ukraine war / Photo: © Korean Central Television (KCTV)/AFP
North Korea's Kim shown honouring troops killed in Russia-Ukraine war
State media images showed leader Kim Jong Un honouring the flag-draped coffins of North Korean soldiers killed helping Russia fight Ukraine, as Seoul's defence ministry said Tuesday it saw no signs of further troop deployments yet.
The nuclear-armed North has become one of Russia's main allies during its more than three-year-long Ukraine offensive, sending thousands of troops and container loads of weapons to help the Kremlin oust Ukrainian forces from Kursk.
Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, according to South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun, citing information from Seoul's spy agency.
The images of a visibly emotional Kim mourning the fallen soldiers were broadcast by the official Korean Central Television, released as part of an event in Pyongyang on Sunday attended by Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova.
It marked the one-year anniversary of a military pact signed by the two countries, which includes a mutual defence clause.
Kim was shown placing a North Korean flag over a coffin during a ceremony for the return of the remains of North Korean soldiers who were deployed and killed in Moscow's war against Kyiv.
The footage 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."
North Korean and Russian attendees were shown bursting into tears as they watched the tribute.
A photograph of a document, purportedly penned by Kim, was also featured, with a caption saying he had "approved operational plans for the liberation of Kursk and issued attack orders to special operations units" in the final months of 2024.
The North Korean leader attended the performance with his teenage daughter Ju Ae -- widely seen by many analysts as his likely successor.
North Korea only confirmed it had deployed troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine in April, and admitted that its soldiers had been killed in combat.
South Korean lawmaker Lee said last week that the North will send more troops to Russia to assist in its war against Ukraine, possibly as early as this month, citing Seoul's spy agency.
But Seoul's defence ministry said Tuesday it currently sees "no signs" that North Korea is preparing to deploy troops to Russia, noting that the country is in its summer training period, with some frontline units also participating in mid-year drills.
G.Grabowski--GL
