In an extremely public gesture of admitting the regime’s battle losses overseas, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been seen crying over the coffins of North Korean soldiers who were murdered while fighting for Russia in Ukraine.
In what appeared to be a repatriation ceremony, Mr. Kim was seen placing both hands on coffins covered in the North Korean flag in pictures that were shown over the weekend by state broadcaster Korean Central Television.
The scenario was a part of a Pyongyang state-sponsored event to commemorate the one-year anniversary of a military agreement with Russia.
Russian culture minister Olga Lyubimova attended the ceremony, which was held at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre. Mr. Kim was shown in photos standing with his teenage daughter Kim Ju Ae and other party members, including his powerful sister Kim Yo Jong, looking noticeably distraught.
According to the Guardian, the ceremony was accompanied by moving music and images of the war, including what looked to be a blood-stained notebook taken from a North Korean soldier’s combat zone in the Kursk region of Russia.
