Kim Jong Un honors DPRK troops killed in Ukraine War

DPRK Leader Kim Jong Un unveiled a newly completed housing district in Pyongyang for families of DPRK soldiers killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in the Russia-Ukraine war.

State media photos showed Kim walking through the new street, called Saeppyol Street, and visiting the homes of some of the families with his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, as he pledged to repay the “young martyrs” who “sacrificed all to their motherland”.

Kim Jong Un said the new district in the capital’s Hawasong area symbolized the “spirit and sacrifice” of the dead troops, adding that the homes were meant to allow bereaved families to “take pride in their sons and husbands and live happily”.
He also said he had pushed to finish the project “even one day earlier” in the hope it might bring “some small comfort” to the troops’ families.

Under a mutual defense pact with Russia, in 2024, the DPRK sent about 14,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine.

The construction of the new street comes as the DPRK prepares to open a major ruling party congress later this month, where Kim is expected to announce his major goals in domestic and foreign policy over the next five years and take further steps to tighten his control.