North Korean leader Kim Jong-un marked the start of 2026 at a large-scale New Year’s celebration in Pyongyang, paying special attention to the families of troops deployed to Russia and expressing hopes for the soldiers’ safe return.

The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) reported on Thursday that Kim delivered a speech at the event, held overnight at the Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang.

In the speech, Kim praised workers and intellectuals and highly commended the troops deployed abroad, making no mention of the United States or South Korea as he emphasized internal unity ahead of the ruling Workers Party’s upcoming Ninth Congress.  

Kim assessed the past year by saying development in the capital had transformed regional areas and that in turn had spurred the development of the capital city, adding that the historic task of achieving comprehensive socialist development had successfully passed its initial stage.

He went on to laud the soldiers of the Korean People’s Army for enduring significant hardships over the past year, crediting them with achieving what he described as a noble victory through sacrifice and devotion that will be remembered by future generations.

The KCNA said Kim also attended a New Year’s performance accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and daughter Ju-ae, met with families of the deployed troops for commemorative photos, and sent a New Year’s message to the soldiers deployed in Russia.