Footage Reveals Kim Jong Un Mourning over Soldiers Killed in Russia
Jul 2
1 min read
News Summary
North Korean state media aired footage of Kim Jong Un mourning over soldiers killed while fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, including scenes of him placing a national flag on a coffin during a repatriation ceremony.
The images were shown during a joint North Korea-Russia cultural event marking the anniversary of their strategic partnership, with emotional scenes of Russian officials and audience members in tears.
The ceremony likely occurred months ago, as indicated by the winter attire, and included references to a soldier's blood-stained notebook expressing loyalty to Kim and the "sacred battle."
Commentary
This staged display reveals the Kim regime’s desperation to calm down growing public outrage over the massive casualties of North Korean soldiers killed on foreign soil.
It’s a typical example of a fake, emotional performance—meant to trick people and boost loyalty, particularly within the military, as morale continues to erode.
According to South Korea's Unification Ministry, the event also served a dual purpose: to pressure Moscow into providing compensation in exchange for Pyongyang’s costly support.
In short, Kim’s survival strategy is obvious—sacrificing the lives of his own citizens to extract maximum gain from Russia, as long as domestic unrest remains contained.
But this is a high-stakes gamble. By betting everything on this path, Kim has left himself with no exit strategy.
Whether the North Korean people, especially those in uniform, will accept this fake show or begin to turn against the regime remains to be seen.
