North Korean high school students visit families of troops killed in Russia-Ukraine war
Published: 13 Apr. 2026, 17:52
Updated: 13 Apr. 2026, 20:18
![North Korean students visit Saetbyeol Street in Pyongyang in this photo released the North’s official Rodong Sinmun on Monday. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/13/b84f53e9-a2b4-4da7-ac37-8c82ca836f17.jpg)
North Korean students visit Saetbyeol Street in Pyongyang in this photo released the North’s official Rodong Sinmun on Monday. [NEWS1]
North Korea has reportedly sent graduating high school students who are about to enlist to “Saebyeol Street,” a residential complex for the families of troops deployed to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party, reported Monday that students from high schools in Pyongyang have been visiting the site in the city’s Hwasong District, built for families of North Korean troops killed in the war.
The newspaper said the students pledged to become a source of pride for the country, their families and their alma maters, following in the footsteps of those who “sacrificed their lives for the nation.” Graduates of Songshin High School in Sadong District, eastern Pyongyang, toured the area and vowed that “the next hero from our school will be us,” the report said.
The organized visits appear to be aimed at strengthening unity within the regime by using what the North's leader, Kim Jong-un, highlights as a key achievement — sending troops to Russia — to influence and rally younger generations, experts say. It also reflects an effort to solidify Kim’s centralized leadership system while drawing younger people into the core base of regime supporters, possibly with a future leadership succession in mind.
![North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits the construction site of a memorial hall for overseas military operations on April 3. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/13/ee2482c7-91dd-4238-aa2f-91083fa631c7.jpg)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits the construction site of a memorial hall for overseas military operations on April 3. [NEWS1]
North Korea first deployed about 12,000 troops to the Russia-Ukraine war in October 2024, but kept the operation secret domestically. It openly began glorifying the troops only after Russia declared victory at Kursk in April last year. Since then, Pyongyang has stepped up efforts to portray the soldiers as heroes, including releasing footage of Kim personally receiving the bodies of fallen troops in June and awarding state honors in August. It also announced plans to build a residential complex in Pyongyang for veterans and bereaved families.
A memorial hall for the deployed troops, whose construction was announced by Kim in May last year, is expected to be completed in mid-April. During a recent site visit, Kim said the facility would serve as “a monument of the era praising the heroic spirit of proud sons and a hall for patriotic education,” adding that remains of fallen soldiers would be enshrined there and that an opening ceremony would coincide with the first anniversary of the end of the Kursk operation.
Analysts say North Korea’s efforts to glorify the deployed troops are aimed not only at showcasing military cooperation with Russia as a signature achievement of Kim, distinct from his predecessors, but also at mitigating public discontent over heavy casualties. They also see the move as an attempt to rally younger generations, who are considered less ideologically aligned with the regime.
“The move is essentially intended to highlight Kim Jong-un’s achievements by aligning with Russia’s narrative of victory in the war in Ukraine,” Oh Kyung-seob, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said. “At the same time, it is being used as a tool to draw loyalty from younger generations, who lack war experience and tend to have weaker ideological cohesion.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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