Pyongyang has released images of leader Kim Jong-un kneeling and crying before the coffin carrying the body of a soldier sent to Russia who died, wrapped in the North Korean flag .

State media also aired videos of Kim approving military plans for the Russian city of Kursk, in what appeared to be an attempt to justify Pyongyang’s planned troop deployment later this year. According to KCTV and Rodong Sinmun, Kim attended an art show on Sunday marking the first anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Pyongyang and Moscow.

The commemorative event of the Russian-North Korean alliance took place during the visit of a delegation from Moscow led by Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova. Kim was accompanied by his inseparable teenage daughter Ju-ae and other officials from the North and Russia. Videos about the deployment of troops from the hermit state to Russia, in support of the Kremlin's war against Ukraine , were shown on a large screen.

Among the various scenes, Kim is visibly emotional in front of a coffin covered with the North Korean flag, with shots of him kneeling and placing both hands on the coffin . Also present is the leader Kim's powerful sister Yo-jong, deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Workers' Party, to represent the personal tribute of the Kim dynasty to the soldiers fallen in Ukraine. State television showed the leader watching the show standing, underlining the solemnity of the moment .

However, only about four or five coffins appeared in the images, contradicting reports that over 4,700 North Korean soldiers had died on the Kursk front . The limited number of coffins suggests that the event was largely for domestic purposes, to ease public frustration over the rising death toll as more troops began to reach the front.

State media also published, for the first time, footage of Kim signing a "Kursk Liberation Operation Plan," shown indirectly through the performance. According to the video, Kim approved the plan on three separate occasions: on October 22, December 12, and December 22 last year. The media also claimed that Kim had "issued offensive operations orders to special operations units," boosting his military profile.