The North Korean government is actively continuing its propaganda campaign to "lionize" young people who were deployed to Russia and died in combat. Using footage showing Kim Jong-un shedding tears, the authorities are vigorously conducting propaganda and education portraying the war dead as "heroes who sacrificed their lives for the fatherland." This report comes from a female reporting partner residing in the northern region of the country at the end of September. (ISHIMARU Jiro / KANG Ji-won)
◆ South Korean Authorities Estimate 2,000 War Dead
The Kim Jong-un regime began deploying troops to Russia, which continues its invasion of Ukraine, around October 2024. The South Korean government reports that the number has reached 15,000 so far, with war deaths estimated at 2,000.
Ukrainian authorities have released numerous videos of killed or captured North Korean soldiers since around November, but North Korea officially acknowledged the Russian deployment on May 9 of this year, when Kim Jong-un mentioned it during a speech at the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang.
It wasn't until late June that they suggested there were war casualties. Footage was released showing Kim Jong-un kneeling beside a coffin draped with the North Korean flag, placing his hand on it while shedding tears.
On August 22, Korean Central TV broadcast a ceremony honoring soldiers deployed to Russia. There were scenes of Kim Jong-un attaching medals below photos of soldiers believed to be war dead. Additionally, on the 30th, it was reported that Kim Jong-un gave a tearful speech before people identified as bereaved families of the war dead, stating they were "heroes who received the fatherland's orders and charged forward without fear of death."
