Kim Jong Un Promises Support for Families as North Korea Counts the Cost of Fighting for Russia

A Promise to Families After Heavy Losses

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has promised a "beautiful life" for the families of soldiers killed fighting alongside Russia, publicly confronting the human cost of a deployment that South Korean intelligence and Western officials estimate has left at least 600 North Korean troops dead and thousands wounded.

In a series of unusually emotional ceremonies in Pyongyang, state television showed Kim bowing deeply to grieving parents, wives and children. At one ceremony, he honored the families of 100 fallen soldiers, embraced children and presented portraits of the dead wrapped in the national flag. Other images showed him kneeling before a fallen soldier's portrait and placing medals and flowers beside pictures of the deceased.

The ceremonies represented the first public admission of the scale of North Korean casualties in Russia's war against Ukraine. North Korea rarely acknowledges military losses, especially during an ongoing conflict. By putting bereaved families at the center of public events, Kim also made their care part of the state's justification for sending troops abroad.

As of August 31, 2025, the deployment had deepened North Korea's alliance with Russia while exposing its soldiers to a brutal conflict far from home. South Korean and Western intelligence put the number sent to Russia at between 10,000 and 15,000, primarily to the Kursk region, beginning in the fall of 2024.

Kursk is inside Russia, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion in the summer of 2024. North Korean troops joined Russian forces fighting there, linking a European battlefield directly to the security concerns of the Korean Peninsula.

Why Kim Sent Soldiers to Russia

Kim's decision followed a mutual defense pact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The agreement pledged military support if either country faced aggression. Pyongyang had already supported Moscow diplomatically and supplied arms, but sending combat troops brought the relationship into a new phase.

Russia gained additional soldiers as the war dragged into its third year, Russian casualties mounted and its military faced critical shortages of personnel. North Korea saw several possible returns: economic compensation, closer relations with a major global power, access to advanced military technology and combat experience for its armed forces.

Reports described monthly salaries and state incentives connected to the deployment. Pyongyang was also believed to be seeking Russian assistance with drones, missile systems and satellite technology. These potential gains help explain why Kim accepted the risks of sending thousands of soldiers into an unfamiliar war.

North Korea's military had not fought abroad since the Korean War, according to the account of its deployment. Fighting with Russia therefore offered experience that training at home could not provide, particularly against drones, artillery and electronic warfare systems.

The decision also signaled Pyongyang's willingness to challenge international norms and deepen its isolation from the West in pursuit of a stronger partnership with Moscow. Its direct involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war was unprecedented in recent history.

How the Deployment Developed

North Korea's role expanded from diplomatic and weapons support to direct combat. The main developments stretched from Ukraine's incursion into Russia in 2024 to public recognition of North Korean troops and their losses in 2025.

• Summer 2024: Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region.
• Fall 2024: North Korea began sending troops to Russia, primarily to Kursk, according to South Korean and Western intelligence.
• March 2025: Russian and North Korean forces had pushed Ukrainian troops out of most of Kursk.
• May 2025: North Korean soldiers were honored at Russia's Victory Day celebrations.
• By August 31, 2025: Kim had publicly honored bereaved families and promised state support, while questions continued about the deployment's next stage.

Kim's ceremonies brought the losses into public view after months of battlefield involvement. They also connected the military campaign to promises of lasting recognition at home.

What the Casualty Estimates Show

South Korean intelligence and Western officials estimate that at least 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed, with thousands more wounded. Another estimate puts total casualties at as many as 4,700 out of a deployment of 15,000. Ukrainian and United States intelligence have reported similar figures.

Casualties means soldiers killed or wounded. Using the estimate of 4,700 casualties among 15,000 deployed troops, about 31 percent, or nearly one in three, would have been killed or injured. That calculation helps explain the scale of the losses behind the ceremonies in Pyongyang.

The true death toll remains secret. Kim's recognition of 100 families at one ceremony was part of a public tribute, while the broader estimates describe losses across the deployment.

Many of the soldiers sent to Russia were young men with little experience of actual combat. Ukrainian commanders described them as disciplined and physically resilient, but unfamiliar with modern warfare and Russian military systems. Early in the deployment, their units suffered heavy losses while moving in large, exposed groups.

Ukrainian special forces described fierce and often desperate tactics. North Korean soldiers also showed a willingness to put themselves in danger to retrieve the bodies of fallen comrades, adding another human dimension to accounts of their battlefield conduct.

Kim's Grief and Promises of State Care

Kim expressed regret that he had been unable to save the "precious lives" of the fallen. He told families that the state would honor their loved ones' sacrifices and promised full support for the children of those killed.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un described the pain of meeting the dead only through their photographs. In a speech carried by North Korean state media, he said:

My 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,

Kim's commitments included plans for a monument in Pyongyang and a new street named for the bereaved families. The ceremonies combined condolences with posthumous awards, giving the deaths an official place in the country's public memory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a letter describing the North Korean troops as "heroic" and recalling the historic bonds between the two countries. His message reinforced the political partnership that had brought the soldiers to Russia.

How Pyongyang Presents the Sacrifice

North Korean state media has presented the fallen soldiers as martyrs who defended national honor and contributed to a "great feat" on the battlefield. The state has praised their families as "the most tenacious, patriotic, and just people in the world" and described caring for them as a national duty.

Images of Kim embracing sobbing children and bowing to grieving parents form part of a carefully organized campaign built around loyalty and sacrifice. The ceremonies sought to justify the deployment and sustain morale as North Korea faced growing economic hardship and international isolation.

For the families, the promises were concrete as well as symbolic: support for children, recognition through medals and portraits, and plans for a monument and a named street. Kim's pledge of a "beautiful life" placed responsibility for their welfare publicly with the state.

The ceremonies also revealed the tension at the center of Pyongyang's decision. North Korea was celebrating military service and its partnership with Russia while acknowledging that hundreds of its soldiers had died in a distant conflict.

From Exposed Formations to Drone Warfare

Analysts initially believed North Korean troops might take on engineering, construction or other roles away from direct fighting because they lacked battlefield experience. Accounts from the front instead described their direct involvement in combat, particularly in Kursk.

Ukrainian soldiers described North Korean units advancing in large, disciplined groups, often continuing despite drone and artillery fire. Some soldiers reportedly wrapped themselves in Mylar ponchos to avoid thermal imaging, which detects heat. The coverings made them more visible to drones.

Ukrainian drone operators later observed improvements in the North Korean troops' ability to shoot down drones and adapt to electronic warfare. Electronic warfare involves using electronic systems to interfere with equipment such as communications and drones.

A Ukrainian special operations soldier who fought in Kursk described how quickly North Korean troops changed their methods:

The North Koreans went from suffering massive losses to learning electronic warfare. They went from using World War II tactics to managing on the battlefield with drones, and they learned very quickly,

Russian commanders reportedly provided additional training to North Korean units. By March 2025, their combined forces had pushed Ukrainian troops out of most of Kursk, and North Korean soldiers received recognition at Russia's Victory Day celebrations in May.

South Korea and Western analysts fear that the skills acquired in drone warfare and modern combat could later be used in a conflict on the Korean Peninsula. The deployment gives Pyongyang experience of how its troops perform under conditions far beyond their training grounds.

Capture, Surrender and Battlefield Discipline

Ukrainian soldiers and North Korean defectors have described troops strongly committed to Kim and deeply reluctant to surrender. Accounts include soldiers detonating grenades to avoid capture and families facing severe consequences if a relative becomes a prisoner.

Ukrainian forces have captured a small number of wounded North Korean soldiers, but most have died before reaching medical facilities. These accounts add to descriptions of a force willing to accept extreme personal risk.

The same soldiers who arrived with little recent combat experience have shown an ability to learn, especially in dealing with drones and electronic warfare. Their discipline, physical resilience and adaptation help explain why the deployment matters militarily despite its heavy early losses.

For Pyongyang, the experience has value beyond the immediate fighting in Kursk. Soldiers and commanders exposed to Russian training and Ukrainian tactics can carry those lessons back into North Korea's armed forces.

Technology and Money Behind the Alliance

North Korea is believed to be seeking Russian help with building drones capable of flying long distances, improving missile accuracy and developing reconnaissance satellites. Such satellites gather information from space, supporting a military's ability to observe activity on the ground.

Russian technical assistance could improve North Korea's capabilities in areas connected to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. There are indications that Pyongyang is seeking advanced military technology in exchange for supporting Moscow.

Economic compensation is another part of the calculation. Reports of monthly salaries and state incentives accompanied the troop deployment, while North Korean workers were also reportedly being sent to Russia for construction and demining operations. Demining means finding and removing explosive mines.

The reported worker deployments violate United Nations sanctions. Alongside the potential technological gains, the economic benefits help explain why Kim has invested so heavily in the Russian partnership despite its human cost.

The exchange extends beyond soldiers alone. Diplomatic support, weapons supplies, labor and military cooperation all contribute to a relationship through which Russia gains help for its war and North Korea seeks resources, technology and international backing.

International Alarm and an Unsettled Next Stage

Ukraine, the United States and NATO have condemned the deployment, warning that it draws more countries into the conflict and undermines efforts to reach a peace settlement. South Korea has expressed grave concern about the combination of battlefield experience and possible improvements in North Korean military technology.

Seoul has indicated that it may consider providing defensive aid to Ukraine, which would represent a substantial shift in its longstanding policy. Germany and other Western countries have called for stronger sanctions against Russia and North Korea, while the United Nations has warned about the dangers of escalating the war.

The closer military relationship has also raised questions about global security as authoritarian governments seek to challenge Western influence and norms. Its effects reach beyond Ukraine because the experience and technology acquired through the partnership could affect security in Northeast Asia.

Kim has suggested that North Korea's involvement in Russia's war could be ending. As of August 31, however, the number of troops still at the front and any plans for further deployments remained unclear. Ukrainian and Western intelligence have warned that Pyongyang could send tens of thousands more soldiers if the war continues, and that North Korean laborers in Russia could be drawn into signing military contracts.

Kim was also preparing to meet Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a military parade in Beijing. That gathering would place the developing relationship between the three leaders in view as North Korea weighed the costs and benefits of its support for Moscow.

For bereaved families, the immediate issue is the state's promise to care for them. Monuments, street names and benefits are part of Kim's effort to honor the dead, maintain loyalty and sustain morale after a deployment that has brought both military experience and mounting losses.

Key Points

• Kim Jong Un promised support for bereaved families and children after publicly acknowledging North Korean deaths fighting alongside Russia.
• South Korean and Western intelligence estimate that 10,000 to 15,000 troops were sent, primarily to Kursk, beginning in fall 2024.
• At least 600 soldiers were estimated killed, with thousands wounded. Another estimate put total casualties at up to 4,700 among 15,000 deployed troops.
• The deployment followed a mutual defense pact between Kim and Vladimir Putin and expanded an existing relationship involving diplomatic support and arms supplies.
• North Korean troops gained experience in drones and electronic warfare, prompting concern in South Korea about future military risks.
• Pyongyang is believed to be seeking economic compensation and Russian assistance with drones, missiles and reconnaissance satellites.
• As of August 31, 2025, the number of troops still fighting and plans for further deployments remained unclear.