Kim Jong Un Opens Memorial Museum in Pyongyang for North Koreans Killed Fighting in Ukraine

North Korea opened a memorial museum in Pyongyang honoring North Koreans killed while fighting in the Ukraine war, in a ceremony attended by Kim Jong Un and Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov.

“In Pictures North Korea has opened a memorial museum in Pyongyang for its soldiers killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in the war in Ukraine, in the clearest sign yet of how central the conflict has become to the growing alliance”

Al Jazeera

The BBC reported that “Military jets flew overhead and white balloons were released into the air as Kim and Belousov unveiled a statue and opened a memorial museum.”

Al Jazeera

The event, the BBC said, was the “opening of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations” and it coincided with what Russia described as the “first anniversary of its recovery of parts of Kursk.”

Al Jazeera likewise said the inaugural ceremony at the “Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations” was held on Sunday and marked the first anniversary of what the two countries describe as the end of an operation to “liberate” Russia’s Kursk border region from a Ukrainian incursion.

In the same ceremony, KCNA reported that Kim sprinkled earth over the remains of one soldier and laid flowers for others whose bodies had been placed in a mortuary, while Kim and Russian officials signed a guestbook at the newly opened museum, according to Al Jazeera.

The Globe and Mail added that a concert titled “Stars of the Motherland” was held for “the martyrs, the laudable sons of the glorious Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” at the new museum, citing Voice of Korea.

Across the coverage, the memorial was framed as a public display of the Russia-North Korea wartime partnership, with Kim and senior Russian figures appearing together at the museum’s opening.

The memorial ceremony unfolded against a backdrop of uncertainty over how many North Korean soldiers have been deployed to fight for Russia in the Ukraine war, with South Korean intelligence estimates and South Korean estimates of deaths cited by multiple outlets.

The BBC said “It is not known how many North Korean soldiers are fighting against Ukraine,” but added that “South Korean intelligence estimates that at least 15,000 have been sent to help Russia recapture parts of western Kursk,” while “Seoul also estimates that about 2,000 North Koreans have died in the conflict.”

BBC

The BBC also emphasized that “neither Pyongyang nor Russia have provided any official numbers.”

Al Jazeera reported that South Korea’s intelligence agency has estimated that North Korea deployed “about 15,000 soldiers” to fight for Russia in the Kursk region and that “about 2,000 of them were killed,” while also stating that “Moscow and Pyongyang have not disclosed any figures.”

The Globe and Mail similarly described the same estimate range, saying “South Korean intelligence agencies estimate some 15,000 soldiers were sent to Russia, of whom about 2,000 have died,” and noted that “Moscow and Pyongyang initially fiercely denied reports that North Korean troops were helping with Russia’s war effort.”

Korea JoongAng Daily offered a different reported range, saying “Between 11,000 and 15,000 North Korean soldiers have reportedly been deployed to support Russia in the war against Ukraine.”

France 24, citing state media and AFP, also referenced the scale of the deployment by saying Pyongyang has sent “missiles, munitions and thousands of troops to assist Russia in Ukraine,” while also stating Seoul estimates “about 2,000 North Koreans have been killed.”

In the ceremony and surrounding diplomatic messaging, North Korean and Russian leaders used the memorial to reaffirm their wartime alignment and to frame the Kursk campaign as a shared victory.

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Financial Times

The BBC reported that Kim assured Belousov that North Korea “will as ever fully support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests”, according to state media, and that Kim said Russia will “surely win a victory in the just sacred war.”

Al Jazeera quoted Kim’s speech as saying the fallen troops would remain “a symbol of the Korean people’s heroism” and would support “a victorious march by the Korean and Russian people,” while also reporting that Kim accused the United States and its allies of pursuing a “hegemonic plot and military adventurism” on the Russia-Ukraine front.

France 24 likewise said Kim told Belousov that North Korea “will as ever fully support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests,” and reported Kim’s “belief that the Russian army and people would surely win a victory in the just sacred war.”

The Globe and Mail added that Putin sent thanks to Kim in a letter published by North Korean state media, writing that when Ukrainian forces invaded and briefly seized parts of the Kursk region in mid-2024, “Pyongyang helped us resolutely without hesitation.”

In that same letter, Putin wrote that “The Korean soldiers, fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Russian comrades-in-arms, displayed their extraordinary bravery and genuine devotion and glorified themselves with immortal honour,” and he said their “unrivalled feats will remain forever in the hearts of all Russian citizens.”

Across the sources, the memorial functioned as a stage for direct quotations about sovereignty, victory, and the “just sacred war,” with both Kim and Putin using the same rhetorical framing.

The memorial’s timing was tied to a specific Kursk sequence described by the sources, beginning with Ukraine’s August 2024 incursion and culminating in Russia’s claim of full control a year later.

The BBC said “Ukraine launched a surprise incursion in Kursk in August 2024,” and it added that “Russia said it regained full control of the region a year later.”

Korea JoongAng Daily

The Globe and Mail similarly described the mid-2024 invasion as “the first foreign incursion into Russia since the Second World War,” and it said Putin’s letter referenced Ukrainian forces “invaded and briefly seized parts of the Kursk region in mid-2024.”

Al Jazeera reported that the ceremony marked “the first anniversary of what the two countries describe as the end of an operation to ‘liberate’ Russia’s Kursk border region from a Ukrainian incursion,” and it said KCNA described the event as commemorating that anniversary.

France 24 also connected the memorial to “the first anniversary of Moscow’s recovery of parts of Kursk,” and it said North Korean soldiers were deployed in the area “to help beat back the Ukrainian advance.”

The Globe and Mail added that North Korea confirmed in April 2025 that it had sent troops to “annihilate and wipe out the Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers and liberate the Kursk area in co-operation with the Russian armed forces.”

In the same reporting, the Globe and Mail said Ukraine had captured several North Koreans who were “still being held as prisoners of war,” after photos and video of North Korean soldiers spread online.

Beyond commemoration, the sources describe the memorial as part of a broader effort to institutionalize and expand military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, including plans that extend into the late 2020s and early 2030s.

“North's leader opens memorial museum for soldiers killed fighting for Russia Published: 27 Apr”

Korea JoongAng Daily

The BBC reported that Belousov “said he discussed long-term military co-operation with North Korean officials,” and it also noted that Kim met with Vyacheslav Volodin, “a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

NBC News

Al Jazeera said that Belousov was quoted by TASS as saying Moscow was ready to sign a military cooperation plan with Pyongyang covering “2027-31,” and it reported that Putin’s letter read by Volodin said the new museum would be “a clear symbol of the friendship and solidarity” between the two countries and pledged to further strengthen their “comprehensive strategic partnership.”

France 24 likewise said Belousov told Kim Moscow was ready to sign a cooperation plan covering “2027 to 2031,” and it tied the ceremony to a 2024 military treaty obligating both states to provide assistance “without delay” in the event of an attack on the other.

Korea JoongAng Daily added that Belousov reportedly told Kim Moscow was ready to conclude a mutual military cooperation plan covering “the period from 2027 to 2031,” and it described the five-year plan as an effort to institutionalize exchanges and cooperation.

The Globe and Mail said that “Beyond troops, North Korea has also provided much needed artillery shells and ballistic missiles for Russia’s war effort,” and it said that “Moscow has provided vital economic support, including tourism, food and millions of barrels of oil,” along with “advanced weapons technology and expertise.”

France 24 said officials in South Korea, the US and allied countries fear Russia could transfer “advanced know-how” to Pyongyang that would boost its nuclear and missile programmes, and it added that North Korean troops were said to have been instructed to “kill themselves rather than be captured in battle.”