ANKARA 

North Korea honored 101 soldiers who died while serving alongside Russian forces in the war in Ukraine, with leader Kim Jong Un calling them “great heroes,” state-run media reported Friday.

Kim laid flowers at a memorial wall where 101 portraits of fallen soldiers were displayed.

“All the participants in the overseas operations who performed great feats to be recorded in the history of the country for its eternal prosperity and mightiness are all great men, great heroes and great patriots,” Kim said.

It was not immediately clear whether all those honored were killed in combat against Ukrainian forces.

In April, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers that at least 600 North Korean troops had been killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. The agency said Pyongyang had likely suffered more than 4,700 casualties overall since its troops began participating in the conflict.

North Korea and Russia last year signed a comprehensive strategic partnership pledging mutual military support if either country came under attack by a third party.  

* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid