North Korea to hold burial ceremony for troops killed in Ukraine war
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits an art studio to guide the creation of sculptures to be displayed at a memorial for North Korean troops who died fighting overseas.
PHOTO: REUTERS
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
Seoul - North Korea will hold a ceremony in April to bury the remains of its soldiers killed while fighting overseas alongside Russia against Ukraine, state media said on April 3.
Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops – as well as missiles and munitions – to support Russia’s war in Ukraine. Seoul estimates about 2,000 North Koreans have been killed.
In return, analysts say North Korea is receiving financial aid, military technology, food and energy from Russia, helping Pyongyang circumvent heavy international sanctions over its banned nuclear programmes.
The isolated country is building a museum honouring the fallen troops, with state media saying on April 3 the project is 97 per cent complete.
A ceremony of “burying the remains of the martyrs there would be solemnly held in mid-April and the museum be inaugurated”, KCNA said.
It will be held “on the occasion of the first anniversary of the concluded operations for liberating Kursk”, it added.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the site and inspected final stages of the project, including the arrangement of exhibits, sculptures and symbolic memorials and “highly appreciated” the progress, KCNA said.
Mr Kim described the museum as a monument to the era, praising the “great heroism” of the late soldiers and calling the facility “a seat for education in patriotism”.
North Korea confirmed it had deployed troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine in April 2025 and admitted that its soldiers had been killed in combat.
Mr Kim has since held various ceremonies to honour the fallen troops.
At one such event in 2025, images released by KCNA showed an emotional Kim embracing a returned solider who appeared overwhelmed, burying his face in the leader’s chest.
The leader was also seen kneeling before a portrait of a fallen soldier to pay his respects and placing medals and flowers beside images of the dead.
In early July, state media again showed a visibly emotional Kim honouring flag-draped coffins, apparently of the deceased soldiers returning home. AFP
