The last time Kim Jong-un had been seen with tears in his eyes was in 2020, during the early months of the pandemic. In a speech for the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party, the Supreme Leader of North Korea appeared visibly moved as he thanked his people for their sacrifice. Five years later, the calculated propaganda of Pyongyang has once again shown Kim with teary eyes in a grand tribute to the North Korean soldiers who died fighting for Vladimir Putin in the war in Ukraine.
On Sunday, in a pompous ceremony to commemorate the first anniversary of a military treaty signed between Pyongyang and Moscow (the mutual defense agreement under which Kim sent his troops to Russia), the North Korean dictator placed flags of his country on a dozen coffins of fallen soldiers. There was a moment when Kim knelt down and placed his hands on one of the coffins.
In more images and videos disseminated in the last hours by North Korean state media, Kim was also seen very moved watching a giant screen projecting battlefield photographs while a group of women in long dresses, in front of a large orchestra, sang on stage. Watching the performance was the Russian Minister of Culture, Olga Lyubimova, who appeared in several photos alongside the North Korean leader and his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, who is poised to be the successor.
It was in June 2024 when Putin visited Pyongyang for the first time in 24 years. During that visit, the Russian leader sealed the defense agreement with Kim. This included a clause that required both countries to assist each other if either was attacked. The North Koreans portrayed it as a "peaceful and defensive defense pact," but barely three months later, they began moving over 10,000 soldiers to fight on the front lines in the Russian region of Kursk.
Last April, the South Korean agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), stated that the North Korean regime had suffered around 4,700 casualties, including 600 deaths. A few days ago, South Korean legislator Lee Seong-kweun revealed that he had attended a briefing with the NIS where the North Korean regime's plan to send more troops to Russia starting in July was explained.
"North Korea continues to send troops and supply weapons to Russia, and we see that their support has played a significant role in Moscow's efforts to reclaim Kursk," said Lee, who added that South Korean intelligence is convinced that Pyongyang has continued to provide Russia with several million artillery shells, along with missiles and long-range rocket systems sent by ships and military aircraft.
This announcement came a week after the head of the Russian Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, visited Pyongyang and revealed that North Korea would send over 5,000 laborers and 1,000 deminers to help rebuild Kursk. In return, Moscow would provide assistance in the development of the North Korean nuclear program.