North Korea has announced plans to renovate Chinese military cemeteries ahead of the 75th anniversary of China’s entry into the Korean War on October 25.
The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s state-run newspaper, reported on Thursday that a groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army Martyrs’ Cemetery was held in Sinpyeong County, North Hwanghae Province, on Wednesday.
The ceremony was attended by Kang Cheol Ho, Vice Minister of Urban Management; Wang Yajun, the Chinese Ambassador to North Korea; a delegation of veterans and families of the fallen from the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army currently visiting North Korea; as well as Chinese students and residents.
According to the newspaper, attendees laid floral wreaths at the cemetery and observed a moment of silence to honor the fallen. Vice Minister Kang delivered a speech, though the specific contents were not disclosed.
While Chinese forces crossed the Amnok River on October 19, 1950, to join the Korean War, China commemorates October 25—the date of its first engagement—as the anniversary of its intervention.
North Korea and China have been strengthening bilateral ties since last month, when Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, visited China to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.
The previous day, the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang reported that Ambassador Wang Yajun met with the visiting Chinese delegation for cemetery visits and research. He stated that the great victory in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea laid the foundation for China’s rise as a global power and forged a blood-sealed friendship with North Korea.
The visiting delegation includes veterans and their families as well as officials from state organizations such as the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the International Liaison Department.
The delegation plans to visit Chinese military cemeteries in Hwaichang, Kaesong, Anju, and Munju, in addition to Pyongyang, to pay respects and discuss the maintenance of memorial sites with North Korean officials.
The embassy also noted that it recently identified a monument in Kangdong County, Pyongyang, erected by local North Korean residents to commemorate Chinese military participation in the Korean War. It indicated that North Korea plans to relocate the monument to ensure its preservation.