North Korean soldiers' sacrifices for party membership in Russia
The Radio Free Asia portal reported that North Korean soldiers who have died in Russia are being posthumously inducted into the Workers' Party of Korea. Families are not informed about the circumstances of their deaths or their involvement in the conflict.
According to RFA, in North Hamgyong Province, the soldiers’ families were invited to Pyongyang, where they were given death certificates and booklets confirming the deceased's party membership. They were also promised new flats in the capital once construction was completed. However, officials did not divulge details regarding the soldiers' deaths.
The families were forbidden to mourn the deceased or share information about their deaths, even with close relatives.
Special privilege
Membership in the Workers' Party of Korea is a special privilege that enhances the social status of families, providing access to better education, jobs, and housing. Posthumous membership is usually granted to those who died in war and not to soldiers who died while performing duties during peacetime.
According to data provided in mid-January by the South Korean intelligence agency, in the partially Ukrainian-occupied Kursk region in western Russia, at least 300 North Korean soldiers have already died, and 2,700 have been injured.
According to authorities in Seoul, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent over 10,000 troops as "cannon fodder" to support Moscow in its conflict with Kyiv—in exchange for Russian technological assistance with Pyongyang's military and satellite programmes, which are under strict international sanctions.
