North Korea Forces Families to Sign Confidentiality Agreements Over Deceased Soldiers

North Korean authorities have reportedly demanded families of soldiers killed in Russia sign confidentiality agreements in exchange for certificates of martyrdom.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on Thursday that North Korean authorities are refraining from informing the public about casualties among the soldiers sent to Russia. They called on the individual bereaved families to present them with certificates of martyrdom.

These certificates serve as official death notices for troops killed in combat or training. Families of the deceased receive preferential treatment and benefits from the state.

A source from South Pyongan Province informed Radio Free Asia that they and their mother were summoned to an event in Pyongsong, where officials presented them with a certificate of martyrdom for the source’s brother. During the event, officials stated that the brother had died “during sacred combat training for the motherland’s honor.”

About a dozen bereaved families attended, with most casualties reportedly from North Korea’s elite Storm Corps special forces unit.

The source also mentioned that families suspected their loved ones had died in Russia, but authorities required them to sign non-disclosure agreements. According to the source, the families left the event in tears.

Another source from the same region reported a similar ceremony in Deokcheon City last week. The source noted that it was unusual for party officials to handle the notifications–a duty generally assigned to military personnel–without explaining the circumstances.

When a North Korean troop dies during training or in accidents, the families are provided with death notices or certificates of martyrdom with the cause of their death and location by their units.

“Only one or two martyrdom certificates are awarded annually. Seeing over ten in one area this month has fueled speculation about higher casualty rates among deployed troops,” the source said.

“Despite government efforts to control information, public anger is growing over young soldiers being used as ‘cannon fodder’ for foreign currency,” they added.

North Korea reportedly deployed about 12,000 troops to the Kursk region to support Russia’s war in Ukraine in October.

U.S. officials have estimated that over 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in the conflict, assessing their combat effectiveness as limited.