SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lauded his country’s “heroic” troops who fought for Russia in the war against Ukraine, in a ceremony where he decorated returning soldiers and consoled children of the bereaved with hugs, state media said on Friday.
Kim said in a speech quoted by KCNA: “The combat activities of overseas operational forces... proved without regret the power of the heroic (North Korean) army,” and the “liberation of Kursk” proved the “fighting spirit of the heroes.”
In front of a memorial wall listing the dead, Kim was seen hugging tearful children of fallen soldiers, with one wrapping his arms around the North Korean leader.
Along with army generals, Kim attended a concert for soldiers who had returned from Russia as well as a banquet that included bereaved family members, KCNA said.
The events were the latest public honorings of North Korean troops who fought in Russia.
