Kim embraced soldiers in wheelchairs and draped flags over coffins as North Korea’s troops returned from Russia. He claimed nine soldiers died. However, South Korea, Ukraine, and Western sources report the actual number exceeds 6,000. The propaganda event cannot mask the human cost of North Korea's first foreign war in decades.
The propaganda footage was carefully arranged: uniformed soldiers getting off planes, Kim hugging a soldier in a wheelchair, and large crowds of families waving flags. North Korea's state media aired the welcoming ceremony on Friday for the 528th Regiment of Engineers coming home after 120 days in Russia's Kursk region.
Kim praised the troops for their "heroic conduct" and "mass heroism" in carrying out their orders during Russia's war with Ukraine. He announced they would receive the Order of Freedom and Independence, North Korea's top military honor.
One figure in Kim's speech was striking: he claimed nine soldiers were killed during the mission and called their deaths a "heartrending loss."
Nine.
According to intelligence from South Korea, Ukraine, and the West, the actual toll from North Korea's deployment to Russia is over 6,000 soldiers. This accounts for more than 40% of the roughly 14,000 troops sent to fight alongside Russian forces under a mutual defense agreement.
The large discrepancy between Kim's official statement and the reported reality exposes the harsh human cost of North Korea’s first significant foreign military mission in decades, as well as the regime’s desperate attempts to control the narrative for its isolated population.
The "Mutual Defense Pact" That Became a Meat Grinder
Last year, North Korea and Russia signed an agreement formalizing their increasing military cooperation. This pact led North Korea to send about 14,000 soldiers to assist Russia in battling a major Ukrainian offensive into the Kursk region—a humiliating situation for Moscow in which Ukrainian forces advanced deep into Russian territory.
This deployment marked North Korea's most significant foreign military action since the Korean War ended in 1953. For seven decades, the North Korean military had focused solely on the Korean Peninsula, conducting no overseas combat operations despite the regime's aggressive rhetoric.
However, Putin needed soldiers, and Kim sought technology, oil, food aid, and crucially, diplomatic protection at the United Nations, where Russia holds veto power.
Thus, many young, poorly trained North Korean soldiers with outdated weapons were sent into a brutal modern conflict against Ukrainian forces armed with Western weaponry and advanced tactics.
The results were disastrous.
The Death Toll: Nine vs. 6,000+
Kim Jong Un's claim of only nine soldiers killed is either a dramatic underreporting or deliberate propaganda aimed at minimizing the apparent loss for a domestic audience that lacks access to outside information.
Intelligence from South Korea, Ukrainian military sources, and Western governments indicates that more than 6,000 North Korean troops have been killed in Kursk, representing a death rate over 40% of the total deployment.
To put this in perspective: the United States lost around 58,000 troops over nearly a decade in Vietnam. North Korea appears to have lost more than 10% of that total in just 120 days in a single Russian region.
The difference between Kim's nine deaths and the reported 6,000+ casualties is not merely propaganda—it reveals how the regime controls information for its captive citizens. North Korean citizens cannot verify casualty figures, lack internet access to foreign news, and have no independent media to question official narratives.
Families of the fallen likely received visits from officials, told their loved ones died heroically, and warned to keep the information secret under threat of punishment. The nine soldiers Kim publicly honored may be those whose deaths could not be hidden—likely officers or soldiers from influential families.
What the Troops Actually Did in Kursk
According to North Korea's KCNA state news agency, the 528th Regiment of Engineers was sent in early August to "carry out combat and engineering tasks" in Kursk during their 120-day deployment.
Russia's Defence Ministry provided a bit more detail last month, stating that North Korean troops who helped repel the Ukrainian incursion are now "playing an important role in clearing the area of mines."
That sanitized description—"engineering tasks" and "clearing mines"—hides the reality of what those soldiers faced.
Ukraine's advance into Kursk in 2024 has been one of the war's most notable developments, with Ukrainian forces pushing far into Russian territory and occupying significant areas. Russia threw everything at stopping this advance, including newly arrived North Korean reinforcements.
The fighting was fierce, filled with artillery barrages, drone strikes, and close combat in forests and towns. The area is now heavily mined by both sides, making any movement perilous. Many North Korean soldiers, lacking previous combat experience and equipped with inferior gear, were forced into this deadly situation.
Kim's speech commended the regiment for clearing "dangerous areas under combat conditions" and displaying "absolute loyalty" to the party and state. This is regime language meaning they followed orders to enter minefields and conflict zones, leading to many deaths.
The Propaganda Show: Hugging Soldiers in Wheelchairs
The welcoming ceremony in Pyongyang on Friday included senior military officials, ruling party leaders, soldiers' families, and "large crowds," according to KCNA—though attendance at these events is mandatory, not voluntary.
Video footage showed Kim hugging a soldier in a wheelchair—an impactful image intended to show the leader's concern for wounded troops. However, it also inadvertently highlights significant casualties that could not be hidden: soldiers too visibly injured to keep out of sight.
Kim's personal attendance and speech at the ceremony are notable. The regime is heavily promoting the narrative that this deployment was successful and heroic, despite casualty figures suggesting otherwise.
He praised the troops' "political indoctrination, discipline, and unity," calling their performance a "model for the armed forces." This language suggests the regime aims to normalize foreign deployments and prepare the military for possible future operations.
The Coffin-Draping Ceremony Nobody Was Supposed to See
North Korea has publicly honored its troops who fought in Russia, but some of the most revealing moments have emerged from state media footage that accidentally confirmed the human cost.
Earlier this year, state media showed Kim draping flags over coffins in what seemed to be the repatriation of soldiers killed alongside Russian forces. These images were meant to convey honor and respect but inadvertently confirmed that North Korean soldiers were dying in large numbers in Russia.
In August, Kim praised troops in a meeting with officers involved in "overseas operations," which is regime terminology for the Kursk deployment. These ceremonial acknowledgments serve to honor the dead, maintaining military morale while controlling the narrative about actual casualties.
The nine soldiers Kim officially recognized received the title "Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" along with other honors—a top state recognition typically reserved for those whose deaths help serve propaganda.
What North Korea Got in Return
The question driving this deployment is not why Russia wanted North Korean troops—Putin urgently needed manpower—but why Kim was willing to send them.
The answer lies in what North Korea gains in return from the mutual defense agreement:
- Military technology: Russia shares advanced weapons technology, which may include missile guidance systems, submarine technology, and satellite capabilities that North Korea struggles to develop on its own.
- Energy resources: Shipments of oil and natural gas help mitigate North Korea's ongoing energy shortages worsened by international sanctions.
- Food aid: North Korea faces chronic food insecurity. Russian grain and agricultural products help prevent famine.
- Diplomatic cover: Russia's veto at the UN protects North Korea from additional international sanctions and criticism.
- Combat experience: For a military that hasn't engaged in a foreign war since 1953, the Kursk deployment offers valuable battlefield experience—though at a horrific cost.
- International relevance: The deployment shows that North Korea remains a player on the global stage, not just an isolated state.
- For Kim's regime, these benefits seem to justify sending 14,000 soldiers to die in a war that has nothing to do with North Korea's security or interests.
The Families Left Behind
While Kim hugged injured soldiers for the cameras, thousands of North Korean families are mourning losses they are forbidden from discussing publicly.
In North Korea's totalitarian system, families of the dead do not receive accurate details about how their loved ones died. Instead, they are told their relatives died heroically serving the state and warned to express gratitude, not grief.
Any signs of anger about the deployment, doubts about official casualty figures, or criticism of sending troops to Russia would be seen as treason against the regime. Families must take part in mandatory ceremonies honoring the dead while concealing their private sorrow.
The nine soldiers Kim publicly honored likely come from families with enough status that their deaths could not be hidden. The other 6,000+ casualties remain officially unrecognized, with their families grieving in enforced silence.
What This Means for the Future
North Korea's deployment to Russia marks a significant change in the regime's military stance. For seventy years, North Korea's armed forces focused primarily on defending against threats on the Korean Peninsula and maintaining internal control.
Now, Kim has shown a willingness to send troops abroad to support allies and advance regime interests. His praise for the troops as a "model for the armed forces" suggests this will not be the last foreign deployment.
Russia's ongoing need for soldiers in Ukraine, combined with North Korea's readiness to send them in exchange for technology and resources, sets a stage for continued military cooperation. More North Korean soldiers may be sent to Russia, and more will likely die there.
The mutual defense pact has implications for regional security. If conflict erupts on the Korean Peninsula, Russia would theoretically be obligated to provide military support to North Korea—though whether Putin would act on this remains unclear.
The Propaganda That Can't Hide Reality
Kim Jong Un's carefully staged welcoming ceremony—complete with hugs, flags, and speeches about heroism—shows the regime's attempt to control the narrative around an operation that seems to have been a humanitarian disaster.
Nine deaths acknowledged. Over 6,000 actually killed. The gap between these figures reveals the true story of North Korea's deployment to Russia: desperate young soldiers sent to fight and die in a foreign war for a regime that values them only as propaganda tools and bargaining chips.
The returning soldiers received medals and ceremonies. The families of those who did not return were visited by officials who told them to be thankful for their loss and to remain silent.
And Kim Jong Un hugged a soldier in a wheelchair for the cameras, creating images meant to convey compassion while hiding the scale of casualties his decision inflicted on North Korea’s young men.
It's a propaganda display that would be impressive if it weren’t so obvious—and so tragic.
Follow ZOSIO for updates on North Korea's military ties with Russia and the ongoing casualties from the Kursk deployment.