North Korea opens new housing district for families of soldiers killed in Ukraine

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un has opened a new housing district in Pyongyang for the families of soldiers who fell while fighting alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.

According to the state run news agency, Kim Jong Un visited the families of “young martyrs” in a bid to honour those “who sacrificed everything for their motherland.”

The images showed Kim walking through the “Saeppyol Street” in the newly opened housing district, which the North Korean leader said symbolises spirit and sacrifice of dead troops.

Speaking at the district’s opening ceremony, Kim Jong Un said, “The project was finished one day earlier in hopes of bringing some small solace to the troops’ families.”

He added, “We built a new housing district for the martyr’s families so they can take pride in their sons and husbands and enjoy a better standard of living.”

Kim Jong Un was accompanied by his daughter, Kim Ju Ae. A South Korean intelligence report claims that Kim Ju Ae is being groomed to succeed her father as North Korea’s leader.

According to Reuters, under a mutual defence pact with Russia, in 2024 North Korea sent some 14,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russian troops against Ukraine, where more than 6,000 of them were reportedly killed.

The opening of a new housing district comes amid increasing efforts by Kim Jong Un to build internal unity. North Korea is building a museum in honour of its soldiers and has established a memorial wall.