North Korean military forces assisted in fending off a major Ukrainian incursion into the region during the previous year
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has toured the construction site of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats for Overseas Military Operations, which honors service members who participated in the campaign to free Russia’s Kursk Region.
In the spring of last year, North Korean troops—operating under the terms of the June 2024 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty—supported Russian forces in pushing back a significant Ukrainian incursion into the area.
In April 2025, the Russian military stated that Ukrainian forces had been completely driven out, marking the first time it recognized the contribution of North Korean troops (though it did not reveal how many were involved). That August, Kim unveiled plans to construct a museum in Pyongyang to pay tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives in the operation.
Photos published by KCNA on Friday depict Kim examining a sprawling memorial complex designed in a grand North Korean architectural style, with a Memorial Wall as its focal point.
© kcna.kp
The museum’s exterior features high-relief bronze carvings of North Korean soldiers equipped with contemporary combat attire.
© kcna.kp
Behind the museum sits an organized cemetery with neat rows of concrete headstones. The construction work seems to be close to finishing.
© kcna.kp
While visiting the site, Kim encouraged the construction team to “to deeply cherish the profound feelings of respect” for those who died and to turn the museum into “a sacred monument… glorified eternally as a symbol of the feats and immortality of the fallen fighters.”
© kcna.kp
KCNA noted that Kim emphasized the soldiers’ “matchless bravery and mass heroism” should be “etched in history as a banner of invincibility,”
In late December, Kim informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that their countries’ bilateral relations had been fortified by “sharing blood” on the Ukraine battlefield, describing the partnership as a “precious common asset” that needs to be maintained “for generations to come.”
Putin thanked Pyongyang for its military support during the Kursk operation, adding that the “heroic entry” of North Korean troops and their combat engineers demonstrated the “invincible friendship” between the two nations’ peoples.
Russian officials have lauded the role of North Korean forces in the Kursk operation and pledged to build a monument in Moscow to honor the deceased. The late Russian Ambassador to North Korea, Aleksandr Matsegora, mentioned that monuments might also be installed in Kursk Region, along with naming streets after the fallen soldiers.