North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday met with the families of soldiers killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine and offered his condolences for their pain.
While honouring the families of those who lost their lives in Ukraine, Kim promised to erect monuments and build a war memorial in the capital to commemorate the fallen soldiers.
Pyongyang has not disclosed the actual number of battle casualties, but South Korean intelligence estimates the figure to be around 600, with thousands more injured.
According to Western estimates, there are currently 10,000 North Korean troops fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine, with Moscow beginning to embed them in 2024.
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Kim delivered a speech to the families after meeting some of them last week during a separate public ceremony.
Addressing the families of the fallen soldiers, Kim said, "I thought a lot about other martyrs' families who were not present there. So, I had this meeting arranged, as I wanted to meet and console the bereaved families of all the heroes and relieve them of their sorrow and anguish, even a little."
"My heart breaks and aches more at the sight of those little children," he added. "I, our state and our army will take full responsibility for them and train them admirably as staunch and courageous fighters like their fathers."
North Korea openly admitted in April that it had deployed some of its best-trained military personnel to support Russia’s war in Ukraine and also acknowledged that some of its men had fallen in the line of duty.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has acknowledged the role of North Korean soldiers and thanked Kim and his forces for helping Russian troops in liberating the Kursk region earlier this year.
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