Kim Jong-un inaugurates 'sacred' memorial for North Korean soldiers killed in Kursk

Published on 24/10/2025 - 14:19 GMT+2

North Korea has surgery crushed connected a caller memorial successful Pyongyang dedicated to its soldiers killed fighting alongside Russian troops to push Ukrainian forces retired of Kursk, authorities media reported.

The groundbreaking ceremonial for nan "Memorial Museum of Combat Feats" was attended by North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un and Russia's ambassador to North Korea Aleksandr Matsegora arsenic good arsenic different embassy officials.

Speaking astatine nan arena connected Thursday, Kim said nan memorial "is a ineffable sanctuary dedicated to nan immortality of existent patriots," state-run news agency KCNA reported connected Friday.

It is not uncommon for North Korean authorities media to study connected events a time aft they happened.

Speaking astir nan cognition successful Kursk wherever Ukraine launched a astonishment incursion successful August past year, Kim said that nan "military brotherhood" betwixt his state and Russia would "advance non-stop," KCNA reported.

According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent astir 15,000 troops to Russia since past autumn and supplied ample quantities of subject equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles, successful support of Russia’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine.

Seoul estimates that astatine slightest 600 North Korean soldiers person been killed fighting alongside Russian troops, pinch thousands much wounded.

Kim has besides agreed to nonstop thousands of subject building workers and deminers to Kursk, arsenic Kim deepens subject ties pinch Russia.

South Korean officials person expressed interest that North Korea could person severely needed economical assistance and precocious subject technologies successful speech for its warfare support.

They fearfulness that it could heighten nan threat posed by Kim's atomic weapons programme. Experts opportunity North Korea's subject would besides get valuable combat experiences from nan war.

Trump and Kim talks?

Meanwhile, speculation is rife that US President Donald Trump whitethorn activity to meet Kim erstwhile he attends nan Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering successful Seoul adjacent week.

Trump has many times expressed his desire to reconstruct diplomacy surrounding nan North's atomic weapons programme and boasted of his narration pinch Kim, calling him "a smart guy."

Kim said past period that he has "good individual memories" of his meetings pinch Trump and suggested he could return to talks if nan US drops "its illusion obsession pinch denuclearisation" of North Korea.

The past clip Trump visited South Korea successful 2019 he made a astonishment travel to nan border, crossed into North Korea and held talks pinch Kim successful nan separator colony of Panmunjom.

Since then, Kim has sharply accelerated nan gait of weapons tests, arsenic high-stakes atomic diplomacy pinch Trump fell isolated that aforesaid twelvemonth owed to wrangling complete US-led sanctions.