North Korea chief meets households of troopers killed combating for Russia in Ukraine

[ad_1] Kim Jong Un has met the households of troopers killed combating for Russia towards Ukraine, expressing his "deep condolences", North Korean state media says.

In a particular ceremony held on Friday, the North Korean chief was seen comforting bereaved households and presenting them portraits of their useless family members wrapped within the east Asian nation's flag.

South Korea believes the North has despatched some 15,000 troops to help Russia in its invasion, together with missiles and long-range weapons. In return, it's believed North Korea acquired meals, cash and technical assist.

North Korea solely acknowledged its function within the overseas battle in April, admitting that a few of its troopers had been killed.

Western officers instructed the BBC in January that they believed at the very least 1,000 of the troops despatched from North Korea had been killed in three months, with a number of thousand extra wounded - however more moderen estimates have put loss of life toll nearer to 600.

Friday's ceremony was the second of its type in per week. In the course of the occasion, Kim stated he was full of "sorrow" at failing to deliver the troopers again alive, pledging to construct a monument of their honour and to take care of their youngsters.

"I assumed quite a bit about different martyrs' households who weren't current [at the previous ceremony]... So, I had this assembly organized as I needed to fulfill and console the bereaved households of all of the heroes and relieve them of their sorrow and anguish even a bit," state information company KCNA reported Kim as saying.

Kim is because of meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in China subsequent week, when he travels to attend a army parade marking Japan's give up on the finish of World Battle Two.

Will probably be their third assembly in two years, at a time when Moscow and Pyongyang are deepening their co-operation.

Final October, Kim despatched Putin a birthday messages, describing him as his closest comrade.

That very same month, Putin launched a invoice to ratify a army pact he had made with Kim, which pledged that Russia and North Korea would assist one another within the occasion of "aggression" towards both nation.

North Korea could have some 1.28 million energetic troopers, however till the Ukraine deployment its military had no latest expertise of fight operations abroad.