Overview

• KCNA reported that Kim addressed relatives on Friday after an earlier ceremony included only some of the bereaved.
• He vowed to erect a memorial in Pyongyang to honor the dead soldiers.
• He said the state would take full responsibility for supporting and raising the victims’ children.
• Pyongyang has released no death toll, while South Korea estimates about 600 killed and reports thousands wounded.
• South Korean and Western intelligence assess that more than 10,000 North Korean troops were sent to Russia in 2024, mainly to the Kursk region.