SEOUL — North Korea’s state media revealed on June 30 images of leader Kim Jong Un draping the national flag over coffins, believed to be those of North Korean soldiers killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. The somber tribute occurred during a gala event marking the first anniversary of a strategic military partnership between North Korea and Russia.

The photographs showed Mr. Kim standing solemnly beside six coffins lined up at the venue in Pyongyang, carefully covering each with the national flag and pausing with both hands resting on them in a moment of respect.

The ceremony was part of a cultural performance featuring artists from both countries, attended by Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova, who led a delegation commemorating the anniversary of the treaty signed in June 2024 by Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The treaty formalizes a mutual defense pact and strengthens military cooperation between the two nations.

The Korean Central Television (KRT) broadcast the event, showing scenes of soldiers from both countries waving their national flags alongside patriotic Korean messages. At the gala, Kim appeared moved, with audience members visibly emotional.

According to North Korea’s KCNA news agency, the event was praised for inspiring confidence in the “ties of friendship and genuine internationalist obligation between the peoples and armies” of the two nations, “forged at the cost of blood.”

In recent months, North Korea and Russia have publicly acknowledged the deployment of North Korean troops in Moscow’s offensive to reclaim the Kursk region of western Russia from Ukrainian forces, lauding their “heroic” contributions.