North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has paid an emotional tribute to soldiers who have died fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, saying his ‘heart aches’ in a rare admission of military losses.

A ceremony for North Korean soldiers in Pyongyang marked just the second time Kim has publicly acknowledged the regime’s role in the war in Ukraine.

By Joyce Lee and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lauded his country's "heroic" troops who fought for Russia in the war against Ukraine, in a ceremony where he decorated returning soldiers and consoled children of the bereaved with hugs,