North Korea's state media has been extensively covering events honoring soldiers and war dead from the 'overseas operational forces' dispatched to Russia as heroes since August 21st. Meanwhile, a reporting partner residing in North Hamgyong Province testified that "they are explaining that the opponents they fought in Russia were South Korean forces deployed as support troops." It has also been confirmed that an educational campaign has begun targeting youth to follow the example of young heroes who fought in Russia. (ISHIMARU Jiro / KANG Ji-won)

＜Inside N. Korea＞ Explaining the Ukraine War to Citizens: "Russia's Patriotic War," "A Favorable Situation for Our Revolution" - Silence on Troop Deployment and Casualties

◆ Honoring war dead with state commendations... Sophisticated propaganda video

On August 22, Korean Central Television broadcast scenes of Kim Jong-un greeting coffins of war dead being unloaded from cargo planes at an airport at night, and footage appearing to show North Korean soldiers engaging in combat in Russia's Kursk region. It also showed returning deployed unit officers and war dead being honored as national heroes, with scenes of Kim Jong-un appearing to shed tears while consoling bereaved families. This was a sophisticatedly produced propaganda video.

At the state commendation ceremony, portraits of the war dead were displayed, and Kim Jong-un pinned medals beneath them. The number was 101. However, the South Korean government announced at the end of April that approximately 15,000 troops had been deployed, with 4,700 casualties including 600 deaths. The British defense minister announced an estimate in June that over 6,000 may have been casualties.

Following the release of this series of videos, ASIAPRESS asked Reporting Partner A in North Hamgyong Province about the current domestic atmosphere.

◆ Explaining that the opponents fought were South Korea, Japan, and the US

"We know our military was dispatched to Russia, but we don't know exactly how many died or why they died. What we've been told is that support forces from South Korea, the US, and Japan were deployed to the Russian front, so we dispatched our military because we're a brother nation to Russia, and that the opponents we're fighting are South Korean forces. Perhaps because of this, hostility toward South Korea is rising even more."

A North Korean soldier captured by Ukrainian forces at the end of last year also testified that he had heard South Korean forces were deployed in combat with Russia. Reporting partner A said no soldiers from his hometown were dispatched to Russia.

"Soldiers from northern regions or near the Chinese border weren't sent to Russia, and most departed from South Pyongan Province and Hwanghae Province areas, we heard. A nephew of a cadre at my workplace is doing military service, and he said he was excluded from the Russia deployment. That cadre said, 'I heard many died, so I'm glad my nephew didn't go and die.'"

Regarding the information that there was no deployment from areas near China, a North Korean defector who belonged to the elite unit called the 'Storm Corps' said, "It's probably because the government judged there was risk of desertion since many people there have been exposed to outside information."