Kim Jong-un has inaugurated a new district in Pyongyang that pays tribute to the troops who assisted in freeing Russian territory from Ukrainian forces
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un unveiled a new street in Pyongyang dedicated to the soldiers who fought alongside Russian troops to liberate the Kursk Region from a Ukrainian incursion, according to Pyongyang’s state media reports on Monday.
Kim himself cut the ribbon to inaugurate Saebyeol Street in Pyongyang’s Hwasong district and presented housing certificates to the families of fallen soldiers, per the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The name ‘Saebyeol’ translates to ‘morning star’.
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The street’s dedication—home to roughly 50 apartment buildings housing 2,500 families—comes on the heels of Kim’s recent visit to the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats for Overseas Military Operations, which is also dedicated to troops who lost their lives in the Kursk operation. The museum complex includes a memorial wall, bronze statues of soldiers in modern combat attire, and an organized burial site.
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Last year, North Korean troops—operating under the June 2024 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty—assisted Russian forces in repelling a large-scale Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk Region. Though the number of troops involved hasn’t been disclosed, Russian officials commended their role and announced that monuments honoring the fallen would be erected in Moscow and the Kursk Region.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has lauded Pyongyang’s contribution, stating that the soldiers fought “courageously and heroically” and that Russia “will never forget the sacrifices.”
Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff, stated that North Korean forces “rendered significant assistance in routing the enemy grouping” that had infiltrated the border region.
In late December, Kim told Putin that bilateral relations have been strengthened by “sharing blood” on the Ukraine frontline, and that “no one can break the relations” between the two nations—bound by the “shared will and power to defend the just aspirations of the times and to set history straight.”
Putin expressed gratitude to North Korea for its assistance, noting that the deepening ties will “contribute to establishing a just multipolar world order.”