SEOUL, Feb 16 (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over a completion ceremony of a new housing district in Pyongyang for families of troops who died in overseas military operations, state media KCNA said on Monday.
In a speech, Kim said the new district symbolised the “spirit and sacrifice” of the dead troops, adding that the homes were meant to allow bereaved families to “take pride in their sons and husbands and live happily.”
Kim said he had pushed to finish the project “even one day earlier” in the hope it might bring “some small comfort” to the troops’ families.
Photographs released by KCNA showed Kim accompanied by his daughter Ju Ae consoling family members of the fallen soldiers and visiting their newly completed homes.
There has been growing speculation over whether the teenager is being groomed to be Kim’s successor. Ju Ae has appeared alongside her father in the past three years at an expanding range of events, including missile tests, military anniversaries and major national celebrations, in a sign that the state propaganda apparatus is gradually elevating her visibility.
Under a mutual defence pact with Russia, in 2024 North Korea sent some 14,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russian troops against Ukraine, where more than 6,000 of them were killed, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western sources.
North Korea has staged multiple public ceremonies in recent months to honour its war dead, including the unveiling of a new memorial complex in Pyongyang adorned with sculptures of troops.
The opening comes ahead of the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party, which is set to convene in late February and is expected to serve as a major political showcase for Kim’s achievements and policy priorities.
(Reporting by Kyu-seok Shim in Seoul; Editing by Matthew Lewis, Ed Davies)
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