North Korea grants families rare privileges to temper anger over war dead
North Korea will allow the families of soldiers killed fighting for Russia the 'privilege' of moving to Pyongyang, and build a monument to its fallen soldiers, it has been reported.
Being permitted to move to the capital is a rare honour under the authoritarian rule of Kim Jong-un, and is likely a calculated move to limit criticism of his regime by the relatives of the dead, experts have said.
One analyst also suggested the offer may also be a way of concentrating families and reducing the spread of rumours about the losses that North Korean forces have suffered and the conditions they endured fighting in Vladimir Putin's armies.
A report by the Seoul-based South and North Development Institute claimed that the government of Kim Jong-un is considering granting 'capital residency rights' to families of the war dead after it became apparent that there is a groundswell of public anger over the dispatch of troops to the war against Ukraine.
Quoting sources in the North, the report said the relatives would be given homes in the newly developed suburbs of Songshin and Hwasong.
'Ordinarily, it is an enormous privilege to be able to live in Pyongyang as only the elite in North Korean society are permitted to live there or even enter the city,' said Rah Jong-yil, a former diplomat and senior South Korean intelligence officer.
'But it is also easy to see this as a means of controlling the families,' he added. 'Having these people all in one place means it is easier to stop the rumours spreading around the country and privilege is also something that can be taken away.'
Reports of North Koreans fighting on Russia's behalf date back to October 2024.
Although rumours have been rife in the North for several months, North Korean state-run media only officially reported that troops had been deployed to fight alongside Russian units in Ukraine on April 28.
As many as 15,000 personnel are believed to have been sent to the front, with South Korean intelligence estimating that 600 have been killed and a further 4,100 injured.
Announcing the North Korean contribution to the liberation of Russia's Kursk region after an extended incursion by Ukrainian troops last year, Kim Jong-un said, 'They all fought for justice and are heroes, representatives of the honour of their country'.
'Sense of solidarity'
In a statement, Russia's leader Vladimir Putin expressed his appreciation for the assistance of Pyongyang's forces, saying, 'Our Korean friends acted out of a sense of solidarity, justice and genuine comradeship'.
North Korea has also announced plans to construct a new 'combat honour monument' in Pyongyang.
In another indication that the regime is bracing the public for the consequences of deploying units in Europe, state-run media reported that the Kaesong Disabled Soldiers' Medical Appliances Factory has been 'wonderfully renovated'.
Kim Jong-un 'took benevolent measures' to modernise the factory and expand its production capacity, it added.
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