North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made another visit to the construction site of a memorial honoring troops deployed to Russia, inspecting the final stages of work.
The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party of Korea, reported on Tuesday that Kim personally guided the construction of the Overseas Military Operations Combat Achievement Memorial the previous day. He was joined by members of the Party’s Central Military Commission, senior officials from the Central Committee, and generals from the Korean People’s Army.
During his tour, Kim examined the memorial’s interior, heroes’ cemetery, and captured weapons display area, reviewing the progress of finishing work and the installation of sculptures and symbolic monuments. He identified several issues within the memorial, provided directions for improvements, and stressed the importance of maintaining the highest quality standards in the final construction phase.
Kim emphasized that the Combat Achievement Memorial should serve as a comprehensive showcase of North Korean architectural and artistic prowess, underscoring the project’s symbolic importance.
Significantly, Kim announced that the memorial would be inaugurated to mark the first anniversary of the liberation of Kursk, describing it as a noble endeavor to immortalize the extraordinary courage and mass heroism exhibited by North Korean soldiers during overseas military operations.
The reference to the liberation of Kursk likely pertains to combat in the western Russian region of Kursk. North Korea has recently been characterizing its troops’ involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict as overseas military operations in its internal propaganda.
Kim has been closely overseeing the memorial’s construction since its inception. He first announced plans for the Overseas Military Operations Combat Achievement Memorial in Pyongyang last August and has been actively involved in guiding the project’s progress.
Kim attended the groundbreaking ceremony in October last year and personally planted a commemorative tree at the site in January. Later that month, on January 25, he visited the Mansudae Art Studio to supervise the creation of sculptures destined for the memorial, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to the project.