Kim Jong Un Assures North Korea Will Continue to Support Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Memorial Complex and Memorial Museum of Combat Feats in Overseas Military Operations. (Source: KCNA)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would continue to support Russia's policies and discuss strengthening military ties with Moscow, North Korean state media reported, while analysts said the cooperation appeared to continue after the war in Ukraine.

In a speech marking the completion of the construction of the Memorial Complex and Memorial Museum of Combat Feats in Overseas Military Operations in Pyongyang, Leader Kim said that North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces had "crushed the aggressors," adding that this had thwarted what he described as "the hegemonic ambitions and military adventures of the United States and the West," reported KCNA as quoted by Reuters (27/4).

"The North Korean government will continue to fully support Russia's policy of maintaining its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security interests," he said.

Leader Kim has consistently sought to elevate the North Korean troops fighting for Russia in the Kursk region into symbols of sacrifice and loyalty, using state ceremonies and memorial projects to publicly honor their role.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is accompanied by Russian officials at the Memorial Complex and Memorial Museum of Combat Feats in Overseas Military Operations. (Source: KCNA)

"The souls of the victims will live forever with the great honor they defended," Leader Kim said in a handwritten message at the neoclassical memorial building on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Russian delegation, including Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, attended a ceremony to lay a monument to honor North Korean soldiers who died fighting in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces invaded in 2024.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022 and still occupies about a fifth of the country's territory.

Previously, leaders Kim and Belousov discussed the international and regional political situation, and various issues aimed at further developing military and political cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

Belousov said he had agreed with North Korean officials to put military cooperation on a stable and long-term footing, and to sign a cooperation plan covering the period from 2027 to 2031 later this year, Russia's state news agency reported on Sunday.

Leader Kim also met with Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, reaffirming the two countries' intention to deepen bilateral relations in accordance with their comprehensive strategic partnership agreement, KCNA said.

The five-year plan "shows preparations for the post-war period of Ukraine," said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute of East Asian Studies at Kyungnam University.

"This increases the likelihood that their extensive political, military, and economic alignment will likely continue even if the war ends, with the relationship entering the stage of an institutional alliance," he added.

It is known that Russia and North Korea in 2024 signed a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement" on the sidelines of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang. The pact includes joint defense provisions.

Afterwards, North Korea sent about 14,000 soldiers to fight with Russian forces in Kursk. South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials said they suffered many casualties with more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers killed in the battle.

In return for sending troops and ammunition, Pyongyang has received economic assistance and military technology from Russia, according to South Korean intelligence assessments.