PYONGYANG — North Korea opened a memorial museum in Pyongyang on Sunday to honor soldiers killed while fighting for Russia against Ukraine. The inaugural ceremony marked the one-year anniversary of the end of an operation to liberate Russia's Kursk border region.

Leader Kim Jong Un attended the ceremony along with Vyacheslav Volodin and Russian Defense Minister Andrei Beloussov. During the event, Kim threw dirt over the remains of one dead soldier and laid flowers before other soldiers' bodies placed in a mortuary.

"The spirits of dead North Korean soldiers will remain as a symbol of the North Korean people's heroism and support a victorious march by the Korean and Russian people," Kim said. He also pledged that "North Korea will fully support the Russian policy of defending its sovereignty and security interests."

Beloussov told Kim that Russia was ready to sign a Russian-North Korean military cooperation plan for the 2027-2031 period. Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "The memorial museum will undoubtedly be a clear symbol of the friendship and solidarity between the two countries."

In April 2025, North Korea and Russia announced that their soldiers had fought together to repel a Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk border region. South Korea's intelligence service estimated that North Korea sent about 15,000 troops to fight with Russia against Ukraine and that 2,000 of them were killed.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kim has made Moscow the priority of his foreign policy by supplying troops and conventional weapons. In return, North Korea has received economic and other assistance from Russia. Beloussov's mention of a cooperation plan covering the 2027-2031 period indicates the two countries are planning to extend their military partnership beyond the current conflict.