Kim Jong-un praises troops, hails North Korea’s ‘invincible alliance’ with Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with his daughter Ju Ae (centre) and his wife Ri Sol Ju, as per KCNA details. Photograph: (AFP)
North Korea’s deepening alliance with Russia has offered an economic lifeline to Kim’s regime and allowed him to rebuff US and South Korean overtures for dialogue. However, several accounts paint a grim picture for the North Korean soldiers fighting the bloodiest war in Europe.
The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has praised his troops fighting abroad as forging an “invincible alliance” with Russia in the New Year’s message, state media said on Thursday. According to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies, Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine. At least 600 North Korean soldiers have died, and thousands more have sustained injuries, according to South Korean estimates. North Korea is said to be receiving financial aid, military technology, and food and energy supplies from Russia in return for the military assistance, say analysts.
Kim praised his soldiers fighting in an “alien land”, while hailing their “heroic” defence of the nation’s honour and instructing them to “be brave”, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
‘Behind you are Pyongyang and Moscow‘
“As the whole country is enveloped in a festive atmosphere of greeting the new year, I all the more miss you, who are fighting bravely on the battlefields in the alien land even at this moment,” he said, according to KCNA.
“Behind you are Pyongyang and Moscow,” Kim added.
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The North Korean leader praised soldiers for strengthening the “invincible alliance” with Russia, calling on them to fight “for the fraternal Russian people”.
Kim further hinted that more overseas action would take place this year, highlighting “remarkable feats you will perform on the overseas battlefields”.
Kim marked the new year with a lavish celebration and speech at Pyongyang’s May Day stadium, reported state media. Images shared by KCNA showed Kim accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and his daughter Ju Ae, who is widely believed to be his likely successor.
‘Soldiers told to kill themselves rather than be taken prisoners’
North Korea’s deepening alliance with Russia has offered an economic lifeline to Kim’s regime and allowed him to rebuff US and South Korean overtures for dialogue.
However, several accounts of the real situation paint a grim picture for the North Korean soldiers fighting the bloodiest war in Europe.
Pyongyang has ordered its soldiers to kill themselves rather than be taken prisoner, according to South Korea’s intelligence service and accounts by two North Koreans captured by Ukraine.
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The two men, held captive by Kyiv since January 2025 after sustaining injuries on the battlefield, have expressed a desire to defect to the South.
