North Korea Reveals for the First Time the Scene of the Return of Remains of Deceased North Korean Soldiers Deployed to Russia

Images have been released showing Chairman Kim Jong Un tearfully holding the coffin of a deceased North Korean soldier deployed to Russia.

According to Yonhap News on the 30th of last month, North Korea has for the first time publicly disclosed scenes presumed to be from a ceremony for the return of remains of soldiers deployed to Russia through Korean Central Television.

This is evaluated as the first case in which North Korea indirectly acknowledged the existence of casualties since formally recognizing the deployment of troops to Russia.

In the report by Korean Central Television, a photo appeared where Chairman Kim Jong Un seems to receive a coffin containing the body of a soldier, covered with the North Korean flag, as a backdrop to a performance by a North Korean singer.

This performance was held the day before (on the 29th) at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre to commemorate the first anniversary of the signing of the "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement" between North Korea and Russia.

The video showed Chairman Kim Jong Un covering the coffin with the North Korean flag along with Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui with a somber expression, and in another scene, he was shown placing both hands on the coffin while keeping his lips tightly pressed together.

These scenes clearly hinted at the return of the remains of the deceased soldiers, following images of North Korean soldiers posing with Russian troops and a bloody notebook believed to have been written on the battlefield of Kursk.

The notebook featured the phrase, “Comrades of the combatants, the moment of decision has finally come. With the heavenly love and trust bestowed by our esteemed Supreme Commander, we will bravely engage in the sacred fight without hesitation…”

Korean Central Television also repeatedly showed scenes of Olga Lyubimova, the Russian Minister of Culture attending the North-Russia artistic performance, and other audience members wiping away tears.

The individuals attending the ceremony were dressed in winter clothes, suggesting that the remains have likely been returned since last winter.

Highlighting Soldiers Not as 'Victims' But as 'Victors'

Experts are paying attention to the background against which North Korea released the soldier-related footage at this time.

Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, analyzed that “North Korea likely wanted to disclose the fact of the casualties not simply within the ‘victim frame’ but rather in the context of a ‘victor frame’. It seems they released the video of the return of the remains after both countries acknowledged the deployment and announced the successful conclusion of the Kursk operation.”

By showing Chairman Kim Jong Un attending to the fallen soldiers with due respect, it is expected that a formal memorial ceremony for the deceased soldiers will take place in North Korea.

This is interpreted as part of a campaign to strengthen the legitimacy of the Russian deployment internally and to 'heroize' the fallen soldiers.

Image source: Korean Central TV, Chairman Kim Jong Un observing special operations troops prior to the deployment / National Intelligence Service