Seoul (Reuters)-North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised “a beautiful life” for the families of the “martyrs” who died fighting Russia in the war against Ukraine, said the state media on Saturday, praising the bereaved by the heroism of their children and husbands.
On Friday, Kim received the families of the soldiers and expressed “weighing for not being able to save the precious lives” of the dead men who sacrificed their lives to defend the honor of the country, said state news agency KCNA.
The heroic achievements of the soldiers and officers were possible thanks to the strength and courage given to them by the families, which are “the most tenacious, patriotic and just people in the world,” Kim told parents, wives and children, according to KCNA.
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“They didn’t even write a short letter to me, but I think they must have trusted their families, including these beloved children, me,” Kim said.
North Korea “will give them a beautiful life in the country defended at the expense of the lives of martyrs,” he said.
North Korean state television showed Kim making a deep reverence for members of a family who seemed thrilled during the event.
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The meeting was the latest tribute to the troops that suffered heavy casualties in the Russian region of Kursk, which borders Ukraine after Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the detachment in April after months of silence.
On Saturday, state television exhibited a 25 -minute documentary that included images of soldiers who allegedly participated in the “Kursk Liberation Operation” to expel Ukrainian troops from the Russian region bordering Ukraine.
Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the images that show the North Korean troops involved in battles.
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The film says Kim made the decision to send troops to Russia last August, revealing for the first time that the strategy was taken two months after he and Putin signed a security treaty that included a mutual defense pact.
Kim should join Putin in China at a military parade next week, marking Japan’s surrender in World War II. It will be the third meeting between the two countries in two years, as they dramatically expanded a military alliance.
The two countries did not publicly disclose the mobilization scale or the casualties suffered by North Korean troops. About 600 soldiers were killed in a total detachment of 15,000, according to South Korea’s intelligence agency.
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Western intelligence estimates point to more than 6,000 casualties.
