Kim Jong Un promises "beautiful life" to families of North Korean soldiers killed in Russia-Ukraine war

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged “a beautiful life” to the families of “martyrs” who died fighting for Russia in the conflict against Ukraine, state media said on Saturday, praising the bereaved for their sons’ and husbands’ sacrifice.

Kim met with soldiers’ families on Friday and expressed “grief at having failed to save the precious lives” of the dead troops who gave their lives to protect the country’s honour, according to the KCNA state news agency.

The troops and commanders’ courageous exploits were made possible by the strength and fortitude of their families, who are “the most tenacious, patriotic, and just people in the world,” Kim told the parents, spouses, and children, according to KCNA.

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“They did not write even a short letter to me, but I think they must have entrusted their families, including those beloved children, to me,” Kim was quoted as saying.

The country will “provide you with a beautiful life in the country defended at the cost of the lives of the martyrs,” he said.

North Korea’s state television showed Kim bowing deeply to family members who appeared overcome with emotion at the event.

The meeting was the latest honouring of troops who suffered heavy casualties in Russia’s Kursk region that borders Ukraine, after Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the deployment in April after months of silence.

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State television on Saturday aired a 25-minute documentary that included footage of soldiers purportedly taking part in “Operation Kursk Liberation” to drive Ukrainian troops from the Russian region bordering Ukraine.

Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage showing North Korean troops engaged in battles.

The film said Kim made the decision to deploy troops to Russia last August, revealing for the first time that the move was made two months after he and Putin signed a security treaty that included a mutual defence pact.

Kim is due to join Putin in China at a military parade next week marking the surrender of Japan in World War Two. It will be their third meeting in two years as they dramatically elevated a military alliance.

The two countries have not publicly disclosed the scale of the deployment or casualties suffered by North Korean troops. About 600 have been killed out of a total deployment of 15,000, according to South Korea’s intelligence agency.

There have been estimates by Western intelligence of more than 6,000 casualties.