The Workers’ Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Wednesday that North Korea’s newly inaugurated Overseas Military Operations Combat Achievement Memorial Hall has been drawing visitors from various sectors. This move appears to be an attempt to justify troop deployments to Russia while glorifying the dispatched soldiers to bolster regime unity.
The newspaper described the memorial as a space dedicated to preserving the heroic feats and noble spirit of the Korean People’s Army soldiers who participated in overseas military operations. It noted that officials, workers, soldiers, and students have been paying their respects at the Martyrs’ Tower and Memorial Wall. Major organizations and enterprises within the party, government, and military seem to have received orders to visit the memorial.
The inauguration ceremony for this memorial hall took place on April 26. Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party, attended in person, alongside Russian dignitaries including Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma, and Andrey Belousov, Minister of Defense.
The memorial’s exterior houses the remains of fallen soldiers, while its interior displays combat materials documenting key activities of deployed troops, flags used by soldiers, party membership applications, and letters left for families. This setup suggests it serves as a facility for remembrance and honoring veterans. Japan’s Kyodo News reported that an estimated list of about 2,300 fallen soldiers is inscribed on a monument at the memorial.
According to the newspaper, visitors touring the exhibits pledged to honor the noble spirits and aspirations of the fallen heroes and committed themselves to implementing the decisions made at the 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party.