North Korea Inaugurates War Memorial Museum

(MENAFN) North Korea inaugurated a dedicated memorial museum Sunday honoring its soldiers killed fighting alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine, with leader Kim Jong Un pledging to forge the Pyongyang-Moscow alliance into an unbreakable force on the world stage, state media reported Monday.

The Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations was unveiled in Pyongyang to mark the first anniversary of Russia's recapture of the front-line Kursk region from Ukrainian forces, media reported. The ceremony commemorated the April 26, 2025 liberation of Kursk and drew senior dignitaries from both nations, including Russia's parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and Defense Minister Andrey Belousov.

Addressing attendees, Kim framed the museum as a living testament to a bond sealed in sacrifice and shared combat.

"No matter how the rules of war change and whenever and wherever a crisis occurs, we should be strengthened into a sincere, dedicated and powerful bulwark with unified power," he was quoted as saying.

Kim further declared that North Korea and Russia have "deterred the revival of fascism and crushed war ambitions of hegemonic forces by fighting shoulder to shoulder to defend peace and sovereignty."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, delivering remarks via letter, lauded the memorial's symbolic weight and reaffirmed Moscow's commitment to deepening the bilateral relationship.

"I am convinced that we will continue to strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the Russian Federation and the DPRK by joint efforts," Putin said, using the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Putin also described the memorial as something that will "undoubtedly be a clear symbol of friendship" between the two countries.

The ceremony reflects a relationship that has deepened dramatically over the past decade, culminating in a formal comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in 2024 — a pact that commits both nations to mutual military assistance in the event either faces attack by a third party.

The human cost of that alliance is now enshrined in stone. North Korea dispatched an estimated 15,000 combat troops to bolster Russia's war effort, according to South Korea's intelligence agency, which assessed that approximately 2,000 North Korean soldiers perished in the fighting. A further contingent of around 1,000 military engineers was deployed to Kursk in August 2025 to assist Russian forces in clearing landmines left from Ukrainian operations in the area.

MENAFN27042026000045017169ID1111035222