DPRK Leader promises ‘beautiful life’ to families of fallen troops
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Kim Jong Un has vowed to care for the families of soldiers killed while fighting for Russia in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, praising their sacrifice and revealing new details about the deployment of DPRK troops.
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DPRK Leader Kim Jong Un meets bereaved families of fallen soldiers on August 29, 2025. (KCNA)
DPRK leader Kim Jong Un has pledged a “beautiful life” for the families of soldiers who died fighting in the war in Ukraine, according to state media. In an event held Friday, August 29, Kim met with parents, spouses, and children of the fallen troops, offering condolences and promising state care in their honor.
“To all the bereaved families of the martyrs, I once again express my regret about having failed to save the precious lives of our officers and soldiers who fell in the battlegrounds on a foreign land, as I am anxious that I could not bring them back alive here,” Kim said, according to a transcript by DPRK newspaper Rodong Sinmun.
Kim's speech went on to read, "Our Party and government will bring all the glory to the heroes revered by the whole nation and to their excellent parents who brought them up to be admirable men. They will also do their best to provide you, ahead of others, with a beautiful life in the country defended at the cost of the lives of the martyrs."
The DPRK head of state continued to praise the “tenacious, patriotic, and just” families who gave strength to the soldiers.
“They did not write even a short letter to me, but I believe they entrusted their families to me,” he said, adding that the country would protect them in honor of the soldiers' sacrifices.
"The children left behind by the heroes shall be sent to the revolutionary schools; I, our state, and our army will take full responsibility for them and train them admirably as staunch and courageous fighters like their fathers, and help them join the backbone ranks of our revolution," Kim said.
Read more: Kim Jong Un China visit signals shift in DPRK nuclear talks: Bloomberg
DPRK troops honored for fighting in war in Ukraine
The event marked the latest public acknowledgment of DPRK military involvement in the war in Ukraine, with Kim expressing national gratitude for those deployed to support Moscow. Footage released by KCTV showed an emotional Kim bowing to families of the fallen.
The tribute follows confirmation earlier this year by both Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin that DPRK troops had been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.
State media highlights 'Operation Kursk Liberation'
A 25-minute state documentary aired Saturday included footage reportedly showing DPRK troops in combat during “Operation Kursk Liberation,” aimed at driving Ukrainian forces out of the Russian border region.
Kim is expected to join Putin in China next week at a military parade commemorating Japan’s surrender in World War II. It will be their third meeting in two years, underscoring the intensifying military cooperation between DPRK and Russia amid growing global isolation.
Neither country has publicly disclosed the full scale of the deployment or confirmed casualty figures. However, South Korea’s intelligence agency estimates that 600 DPRK troops have been killed out of a force of 15,000.
