N. Korea's Kim again consoles bereaved families of troops deployed for Russia-Ukraine war

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has consoled bereaved family members of the North's troops deployed to Russia who were killed during the war with Ukraine in another ceremony to decorate service members for overseas operations, state media reported Saturday. The event came days before Kim will travel to China to attend a large-scale military parade set for Wednesday alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The North's leader attended the second ceremony Friday to award state commendations to soldiers who participated in the war, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). By holding such a ceremony, North Korea seems to have intended to highlight North Korean troops' sacrifice for the war ahead of Kim's likely summit with Putin in China, experts said. The commendation event took place about a week after the KCNA reported on Aug. 22 that the first such ceremony was held in Pyongyang. Photos carried by state media showed Kim putting the country's hero medals beside the portraits of 101 soldiers who were killed during combat. During this week's cereWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times