This scene of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un mourning while caressing a coffin containing the remains of a North Korean soldier who died on deployment to Russia was displayed in the background of an artistic performance at the East Pyongyang Grand Theater on June 29 with Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova in attendance. (Korean Central Television)North Korean authorities have organized a series of events to honor soldiers killed in the Russia-Ukraine war and comfort their grieving families, but some North Koreans describe these ceremonies as elaborate political theater designed to serve the regime’s strategic goals.
Critics point to scenes of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un weeping while consoling bereaved families as carefully choreographed moments aimed at showing both domestic and international audiences that North Korea will honor its military sacrifices while demonstrating its alliance with Russia.
Careful staging and selective presentation
According to a Daily NK source inside North Korea, authorities were meticulous in selecting which veterans received public recognition. Only commanders and soldiers specifically chosen for their battlefield accomplishments were featured in the ceremonies.
The choice of venue was equally deliberate. By holding the events at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea—a space typically reserved for the country’s top leadership—authorities sought to maximize the prestige and significance of the commemorations.
North Korea also intentionally displayed only a small number of portraits of the fallen. Officials strictly limited how many were shown, believing that revealing the full extent of combat casualties might shock the public, the source explained.
The most emotionally charged moments—Kim personally placing medals on portraits of the dead and embracing family members—were carefully orchestrated by the ruling party’s Publicity and Information Department and Korean Documentary Film Studio.
While the released footage emphasized gratitude and pride, the actual events were filled with raw grief. Parents mourned their children and young widows wept for their husbands. Even this genuine sorrow was manipulated by authorities, who transformed the families’ pain into what they called “the pride of the North Korean people, who raised heroes.”
This follows Korea Central TV’s Aug. 31 broadcast of documentary footage showing North Korean troops in combat, highlighting cases where soldiers chose to detonate explosives rather than surrender—acts the regime portrayed as embodying the “spirit of heroic sacrifice.” The recent memorial events continued this narrative, serving as political theater designed to convince the public that loyalty to the state ensures care and recognition.
“What the government wanted to achieve through these events was obvious,” the source said. “They emphasized the blood alliance with Russia while promoting unity within the military and society at home, all while engaging in ‘politics of tears’ by showing the leader personally crying and caring for the bereaved.”
The source added that Kim’s pledge to stand with Russia until the war’s end and his promises to support grieving families were ultimately political gestures meant to strengthen loyalty to his regime.
North Korea’s political messaging appears to have resonated, at least partially. According to multiple sources quoted by Daily NK on Sept. 4, images of Kim meeting with bereaved families—consoling them, crying alongside them, and sharing their pain—had a powerful impact throughout the country.