North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has paid tribute to soldiers killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, in a rare ceremony at the ruling Workers’ Party headquarters in Pyongyang. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), portraits of the fallen troops were displayed on stage with their names, as Kim praised them as “admirable heroes” who returned home with “great honour” after enduring the “hail of bullets and bombs” in a foreign war.
Images released by state media showed an emotional Kim embracing a returning soldier who broke down in his arms, while at one point he was seen kneeling before the portrait of a fallen fighter. He also placed flowers and medals in front of the portraits as a mark of respect. KCNA reported that Kim personally conferred the prestigious title of “DPRK Hero” on senior officers who “performed distinguished feats” during the overseas operations.
The North Korean leader further laid flowers at a memorial wall and met with bereaved families, consoling them and pledging the state’s support in their grief. The event marked the first public acknowledgement of North Korean combat losses since Pyongyang admitted in April that it had deployed troops to Ukraine in support of Russia’s war effort.
The ceremony comes amid intensifying geopolitical dynamics. Russian President Vladimir Putin last week described North Korean troops as “heroic” in a letter to Kim, underscoring growing military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. Washington, however, has accused Russia of offering North Korea assistance in advanced satellite and missile technology in exchange for its battlefield support — a move analysts warn could bolster Pyongyang’s intercontinental ballistic missile programme.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain stalled. US President Donald Trump has recently held talks with both Russian and Ukrainian leaders in a bid to broker peace, but his initiatives have so far produced little tangible progress. The war continues to reverberate far beyond Ukraine’s borders, with North Korea’s involvement signalling a deepening alliance that could reshape global security dynamics.
