When North Korea honored fallen Korean War heroes at a Victory Day ceremony last week, the regime quietly slipped in something unprecedented: the remains of soldiers killed fighting in Ukraine.
While the Workers’ Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun publicly announced the burial of Korean War veterans—Republic Double Hero Kim Ki Woo and Republic Heroes Ri Yong Je and Ri Dong Gyu—at the Korean War Veterans Cemetery on July 21, a source revealed that Korean People’s Army soldiers who died in Russia’s war were secretly laid to rest alongside the 1950s-era heroes.
The dual ceremony reflects North Korea’s delicate position as it seeks to honor troops deployed to support Russia while avoiding domestic controversy over sending soldiers to die in a foreign conflict.
Private ceremonies avoid public controversy
According to a Daily NK source inside North Korea recently, “Beyond the officially announced figures, the remains of some soldiers who recently died in the Russian war were also buried together. Families of the fallen traveled from provinces to Pyongyang to participate in the ceremony.”
However, the burial of Russia-Ukraine war casualties was conducted privately within extremely limited scope. Considering domestic and international circumstances, authorities chose not to hold public ceremonies, instead conducting what was described as a “primary internal burial ceremony” under directives from the General Political Bureau of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
The source explained, “Initially, there were plans to highlight Russian war casualties to send the message that ‘we achieved victory in the struggle against imperialism,’ but there were mixed internal opinions about whether to make this public.”
The source added, “I understand they partially shifted strategy due to concerns about sensitive international reactions and mixed public sentiment. This was ultimately a measure designed to maximize regime legitimacy while avoiding provocation of both external and internal audiences.”
Mixed public reactions force strategic caution
Within North Korea, while some people express gratitude to the homeland for remembering sons who fought according to party orders, there’s also an atmosphere where people voice resentment about their sons shedding blood in another country’s war.
Authorities appear to have recognized that publicly lionizing soldiers involved in the war could generate controversy. The source noted that openly commemorating those who died fighting in Russia would prompt more people to question why they died when it wasn’t North Korea’s war. Instead, authorities quietly buried them in the veterans cemetery and only called some families to participate in the burials.
North Korean authorities are currently storing cremated remains in one place. The source suggested that they will likely hold official memorial and commemorative events when a new “Battle Merit Monument” is completed. In April, North Korea announced that “a Battle Merit Monument will soon be erected in our capital to praise the heroic deeds of our proud sons.”
The source concluded, “At some point, depending on circumstances, the state will publicly spotlight these ‘heroic sons’ at the national level. That’s the North Korean way.”
Meanwhile, a form of “gift politics” for fallen soldiers’ families is ongoing. While no public awards or compensation have been provided, some bereaved families are receiving unofficial support including housing and daily necessities. However, how the government supports the families of soldiers varies by household, and there have been no official announcements.
The source observed, “They’re guiding families of the fallen to feel that ‘while it’s sad our sons were sacrificed, we’re grateful that the party remembers and honors them.’ This subtle approach of ‘looking after things quietly’ seems to be judged as effective in reducing internal discord within the system.”
