Photos projected during a gala at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre on Sunday – timed to the first anniversary of a defense pact with Moscow – showed Kim resting his hands on six flag-draped coffins. He was flanked by senior officials, including sister Kim Yo-jong and Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, all in winter coats, hinting the repatriation ceremony had occurred months earlier.
Other slides paired North Korean and Russian troops waving their flags with a blood-stained notebook said to come from the Kursk front.
“The decisive moment has finally come […] fight this sacred battle,” the scrawled message read, echoing slogans to “our beloved Supreme Commander.”
Footage aired by state television showed an occasionally emotional Kim seated beside Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova and his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, as audience members dabbed away tears. The Korea Herald said it was the first time domestic media had shown imagery of North Korean personnel deployed abroad.
Analyst Hong Min of Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification said Pyongyang was “framing the fallen not only as sacrifices but as part of a victory narrative” after both capitals acknowledged the troop presence and claimed success in recapturing parts of Russia’s Kursk region.
Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin first confirmed the deployment in April, hailing the troops as “heroes.” Kim promised a Pyongyang monument and regular flower offerings at their graves – effectively conceding battle deaths after months of official denials.
South Korean legislators briefed by intelligence officials estimate North Korea has sent about 15,000 soldiers since last autumn and suffered roughly 4,700 casualties, including 600 fatalities. Seoul’s spy agency warned fresh rotations could begin as early as July.
State news agency KCNA said Sunday’s show underscored blood-forged “friendship and genuine internationalist obligation” between the two militaries.
In addition to manpower, Pyongyang has supplied artillery shells, missiles and other munitions to Moscow, reportedly receiving weapons know-how, satellite technology and broader economic aid in return.
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Source: Polskie Radio 24, The Guardian