＜Inside N.Korea＞ News of North Korean Soldier Deaths in Russia Finally Reaches Home - Parents Scramble While Some Youth Volunteer: What's Behind This?

◆What's the Domestic Atmosphere Regarding Russian Deployment?

The Kim Jong-un regime faces strong international condemnation for deploying young people and incurring casualties. When asked about the domestic mood, the reporting partner responded:

"Recently, wheat and solid oil have been coming in from Russia, and there's talk that this is compensation for sending our troops. Some say we should support Russia because it's a brotherly nation, or that we should help them now because they provided significant military aid during the Fatherland Liberation War (Korean War). However, because everyone is struggling to get by these days, most people don't care about soldiers going to Russia or casualties unless it affects them or their families directly."

Regarding reports by some media outlets about "death certificates" being issued to casualties' families, funerals being held, and families receiving food and housing support, the reporting partner said: "I've been looking into it, but haven't heard anything about such practices currently."

A North Korean defector who served in the Storm Corps commented, "How casualties are handled is a serious matter. The government will deal with families in an organized, systematic, and careful manner. At this stage, when they're not even acknowledging the deployments, it's unlikely they're informally notifying individual families or providing compensation."

※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea