North Korea to Hold Burial Ceremony for Soldiers Killed in Ukraine War

SadaNews - North Korea will hold a ceremony this month to bury its soldiers who died fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, according to official media on Friday, as reported by Agence France-Presse.

Pyongyang has sent thousands of soldiers, as well as missiles and munitions, to support the Russian war in Ukraine. Seoul estimates that about two thousand North Korean soldiers have died in the Ukraine war.

In contrast, analysts indicate that North Korea is receiving financial and food aid, as well as support in military technology and energy from Russia, which helps Pyongyang circumvent the strict international sanctions imposed on it due to its nuclear program.

The isolated state is building a museum to honor its fallen soldiers. Official media reported on Friday that the project is 97 percent completed.

The official news agency stated that the ceremony for "the burial of the remains of the martyrs will be held officially in mid-April, and the museum will be opened".

It added that the ceremonies will take place "on the occasion of the first anniversary of the conclusion of the special operations for the liberation of Kursk".

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the site and reviewed the final stages of the project, which includes organizing exhibitions and setting up sculptures and memorials, and expressed his "great appreciation" for the progress made.

Kim described the museum as a memorial for that era and a "monument for teaching nationalism", praising the "great heroism" of the soldiers.

North Korea confirmed that it deployed forces to support the Russian war in Ukraine in April last year and acknowledged that its soldiers were killed during the battles.

Kim has held several ceremonies to honor the fallen soldiers. In such an event last year, images released by the official news agency showed Kim embracing a soldier, with clear emotion visible on both of them.

Kim was also seen kneeling before a picture of a fallen soldier, placing medals and flowers in front of the portraits of the dead.

In early July, state media aired footage of Kim appearing emotional while honoring fallen soldiers whose remains were placed in coffins wrapped in flags.