North Korean leader praises troops in Ukraine, calling for bravery and hinting at more overseas action in a message reinforcing the Pyongyang-Moscow alliance.
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has praised troops fighting in Ukraine for forging an “invincible alliance” with Russia in a New Year’s message.
State media said Kim congratulated the “heroic” soldiers defending the nation’s honour in an “alien land”.
“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 the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim told the soldiers that “behind you are Pyongyang and Moscow”.
He called on them to fight “for the fraternal Russian people” and hinted at more action this year.
The message highlighted “remarkable feats you will perform on the overseas battlefields”.
Analysts say the deepening alliance provides an economic lifeline to Kim’s regime.
“Deployments to Russia, as well as overseas military operations or cooperation more broadly, are no longer exceptional but have become embedded as part of official defence policy,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University.
He added that Kim can “frame the economic and military gains” from the troop deployments in nationalist appeals to his domestic audience.
South Korean and Western intelligence agencies say Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
South Korean estimates indicate at least 600 have died and thousands more have been injured.
Analysts say North Korea receives financial aid, military technology, and food and energy supplies from Russia in return.
On-the-ground accounts, however, paint a grim picture for the troops.
Pyongyang’s soldiers have reportedly been ordered to kill themselves rather than be taken prisoner.
Two North Koreans captured by Ukraine in January 2025 have expressed a desire to defect to South Korea.
