In a rare and emotional ceremony, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un publicly paid tribute to his country’s soldiers who were killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

State media photographs showed Kim hugging servicemen, comforting children of the fallen, and kneeling before portraits of the dead — a striking departure from the secretive image North Korea often projects about its overseas military involvement.

The ceremony, reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), included the distribution of medals to surviving soldiers and families. Kim, appearing visibly moved, praised the troops for their courage and sacrifice, describing them as embodying the “fighting spirit of the heroes.”

According to KCNA, the soldiers were killed during operations to help Russia reclaim the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces. The event marks one of the few times Pyongyang has openly acknowledged military losses in a foreign conflict, underscoring the deepening ties between North Korea and Russia amid Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

Analysts say Kim’s public mourning reflects both a propaganda effort to showcase loyalty to Russia and an attempt to frame the fallen soldiers as national heroes, bolstering domestic unity in North Korea.

The unusual transparency, however, also highlights the growing cost of North Korea’s involvement in the conflict — both militarily and politically.