SEOUL, February 16 (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over a completion ceremony in Pyongyang for a new residential complex built for the families of soldiers killed in overseas military operations, state-run Korean Central News Agency said on Monday.
King said in a speech that the new district symbolized the “spirit and sacrifice” of fallen service members, adding that the homes were designed to allow bereaved families to “feel proud of their sons and husbands and live happily.”
King said he had pushed to complete the project “even a day early” in the hope it would bring “some small comfort” to military families.
In 2024, North Korea sent about 14,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine under a mutual defense agreement with Russia, and more than 6,000 of them were killed in Ukraine, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western sources.
North Korea has held a number of public ceremonies in recent months to commemorate its war dead, including the unveiling of a new memorial in Pyongyang decorated with military sculptures.
The opening comes ahead of the ruling Workers’ Party’s ninth congress, scheduled for late February and expected to be a major political showcase of Kim’s achievements and policy priorities.
(Reporting by Kyu-seok Shim in Seoul; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
