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Seoul, South Korea
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\n North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has paid an emotional tribute to soldiers killed while fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, saying his \u2018heart aches\u2019 in a rare admission of military losses.\n <\/p>\n
\n Kim made the comments on Thursday at a ceremony in Pyongyang, where he met with commanders of a unit that had fought for Russia in the western Kursk region, according to North Korean state media KCNA. He praised them as \u201ca heroic army,\u201d with state media photos showing Kim pinning commendation badges on soldiers\u2019 uniforms.\n <\/p>\n
\n Photos released by KCNA also showed Kim pinning badges on the photo frames of deceased soldiers, which lined the wall, with each soldier\u2019s name written in gold beneath their image.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cMy heart aches and is bitter as I face the reality that I only get to meet the noble figures who gave up their precious lives for great victory and glory through photos on the memorial wall,\u201d he said in a speech, according to KCNA.\n <\/p>\n
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\n \u201cAs I stand in front of the bereaved families of the fallen soldiers, I don\u2019t know how to express my regret and apologies for not being able to protect our precious sons.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n The ceremony was also tearful, according to the images released by North Korea, with Kim meeting with bereaved family members who were seen sobbing and paying tribute to soldiers\u2019 photos on the wall. In several images, Kim is seen embracing crying children and embracing soldiers.\n <\/p>\n
\n Authorities then held a banquet to further celebrate the unit that had returned, KCNA reported.\n <\/p>\n
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\n North Korea began sending large numbers of troops and equipment to support Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine last year after high profile meetings between Kim and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, bringing a reclusive and autocratic Asian power into the heart of a European war.\n <\/p>\n
\n Both Russia and North Korea initially refused to confirm any deployments, but have since publicly acknowledged the involvement of Pyongyang\u2019s forces.\n <\/p>\n
\n Kim and his regime have been tight-lipped about reports that the North Korean soldiers sent to fight in Kursk have suffered heavy losses \u2013 making this week\u2019s ceremony a rare admission of how damaging the impact has been.\n <\/p>\n
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\n Ukrainian and US intelligence suggests there are roughly 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia, the first of whom were sent in the fall of 2024.\n <\/p>\n
\n Of that initial deployment, about 4,000 soldiers have been killed or wounded according to Western officials.\n <\/p>\n
\n While North Korea is one of the most militarized societies on earth – with an estimated 1.2 million armed service personnel and mandatory military service from age 17 – its forces have done very little active fighting since the Korean War, where an armistice brought hostilities to a halt in 1953.\n <\/p>\n
\n Pyongyang\u2019s soldiers lack real-world battle experience and face unfamiliar terrain in a modern war theater. But some analysts have warned against underestimating North Korean troops fighting for Russia, saying they likely come from elite and highly indoctrinated forces.\n <\/p>\n
\n In interviews with CNN, Ukrainian special operations forces described the brutal and near-suicidal tactics they\u2019ve seen from North Koreans on the battlefield. These include a soldier who detonated a grenade next to his head rather than be captured; and others who removed their helmets and heavy protective body armor to move faster in attacking Ukrainian positions.\n <\/p>\n