Overview
- State media showed Kim attending a packed May Day Stadium celebration with his wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter Kim Ju-ae, reinforcing public succession symbolism.
- In a New Year letter to overseas units, Kim urged soldiers to “be brave,” declared “Behind you are Pyongyang and Moscow,” and praised an “invincible alliance” with Russia.
- South Korean and Western intelligence estimate North Korea has sent thousands of personnel to support Russia in Ukraine, with South Korea assessing at least 600 killed and thousands wounded.
- Kim met families of deployed soldiers and, in his stadium speech, emphasized domestic achievements and unity ahead of the expected Ninth Workers’ Party Congress, offering no direct message to Seoul or Washington.
- Coverage highlighted detailed exchanges with Vladimir Putin while briefly noting a greeting from China’s leader, and experts say Pyongyang is trading troops and munitions for Russian support.