Families of soldiers killed in Russia compensated with 30 days’ worth of groceries
The body of a North Korean soldier killed in Russia’s Kursk Oblast (Image: Ukrainian Armed Forces’ SOF / Telegram)
Government authorities are providing a month’s worth of groceries to the families of soldiers killed in combat in Russia in its war with Ukraine, according to sources in North Korea.
But some bereaved families are refusing the food and crying out for their sons to be returned.
Given chronic food shortages, 30 days of supplies can be a significant form of support for ordinary citizens. That said, as compensation it does not amount to much when compared to the $30,000 the state is receiving from Russia for each soldier killed.
“Recently, factories and enterprises in Chongjin City have been delivering food to families of soldiers who died in the Russian war,” said a resident of North Hamgyong Province reached by phone. “Party officials from the factories are personally visiting the homes of the deceased to deliver the food and offer condolences.”
“The food is being provided based on 700 grams per family member per day for 30 days,” he said.
“However, the bereaved families are refusing to accept the food and are crying out, asking for their sons to be returned back alive instead of rice, leaving the officials in a cold sweat,” he said.
In April the Rodong Sinmun and Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) belatedly acknowledged the large-scale deployment of troops to Russia. These official media claimed that North Korea “made a significant contribution to the liberation of Russia’s border territory, Kursk Oblast,” and revealed that “a monument honoring the military achievement” was to be erected in Pyongyang.
This was the first formal admission that troops had been dispatched to Europe and that there had been significant casualties. Following this, authorities took steps to provide the families of fallen soldiers deployed to Russia with compensation in the form of food.
This is interpreted as an attempt by the regime to quell discontent over the deployment to Russia and strengthen internal unity by planting the image that fallen soldiers and their families are given special treatment.
With the price of rice in North Korea figured at 9,800 North Korean won per kilogram, a 30-day supply of 21 kilograms per person costs about 210,000 won, which is equivalent to USD 26.25.
This amount represents 0.088% of the $30,000 compensation North Korea receives from Russia. Given this, the gesture to families seems like the bare minimum to save face.
Not that this is apparent to the families. The state keeps the compensation it is receiving secret. North Korean casualties in Russia are estimated to be between 400 and 700. Additionally, it’s reported that substantial core military technology has been transferred from Russia to North Korea in this process. None of this information is publicly disclosed.
What’s even more telling is that the compensation is not made at a national level. Instead, factories and enterprises the families are affiliated with have been instructed to provide it.
North Korea cloaks the deaths of its young people in the language of loyalty and devotion to the state, but remains indifferent to their actual sacrifice. No one knows how far the sacrifice of these young soldiers sent abroad will go, but one thing is clear.
Only when someone’s sacrifice is respected and rightfully compensated for their actions can a nation be recognized as a legitimate and worthy state.
The North Korean authorities must not forget that returning the compensation received from Russia to the bereaved families, even now, is the very least they can do to fulfill their responsibility as a state and honor the young souls whose blossoming youth was buried in a foreign soil.
Sewon is the North Korean-born founder and CEO of NK Times, a Seoul-based media outlet focused on North Korea. Drawing on his personal experience living there, he strives for transparency and accuracy in reporting, working to inform readers worldwide about the realities of North Korea.
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