(MENAFN) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un marked the anniversary of the 1953 Korean War armistice by visiting the Friendship Tower in Pyongyang, reaffirming his commitment to remembering the Chinese soldiers who died in the conflict, media reported Sunday.

On Saturday, Kim laid a wreath at the memorial, which was erected in 1959 to commemorate Chinese People's Volunteers who fought alongside North Korean forces. According to media, he declared that North Korea "would never forget the militant feats and merits of the fallen fighters of the Chinese People's Volunteers."

The armistice agreement, signed on July 27, 1953, ended hostilities in the Korean War without a formal peace treaty. Since 1996, North Korea has designated the date as Victory Day, celebrating what it claims was a triumph over U.S.-led coalition forces.

The Friendship Tower, a long-standing symbol of the alliance between Pyongyang and Beijing, has frequently served as a ceremonial site for Kim during previous anniversaries.

In addition to the memorial tribute, Kim visited the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum. There, he placed a flower basket in front of a statue of North Korea’s founding leader Kim Il-sung and lauded the Korean War victory as a demonstration of Juche military strategy.

North Korea, he emphasized, would “surely achieve the great cause of building a rich country with a strong army” and ultimately become “honorable victors in the anti-imperialist, anti-US showdown,” according to media.

Despite the firm rhetoric, Kim stopped short of issuing direct threats or criticisms aimed at either the United States or South Korea.

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