Seoul, October 24: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Friday that his country’s military brotherhood with Russia would “advance non-stop,” underscoring deepening cooperation between the two nations amid Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial dedicated to North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Russian troops in Russia’s Kursk region, Kim said the bond forged “at the cost of precious blood” would continue to strengthen despite outside pressure, state media KCNA reported.
“The years of militant fraternity, in which a guarantee has been provided for the long-term development of the bilateral friendship at the cost of precious blood, will advance non-stop,” Kim said, adding that challenges from “domination and tyranny” would not hinder the two countries’ ties.
The event marked the latest public commemoration of North Korean troops who fought in support of Russian forces in Ukraine. Pyongyang and Moscow have drawn closer since signing a mutual defence pact earlier this year, expanding their military and economic cooperation in defiance of international sanctions.
According to officials in Kyiv and Seoul, North Korea has sent more than 10,000 soldiers, along with artillery ammunition and missiles, to assist Russia’s war effort. South Korea’s intelligence agency estimated in September that around 2,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed in the fighting.
Russian President Vladimir Putin remained defiant on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed new sanctions targeting Russia’s two largest oil companies, aiming to pressure the Kremlin to end the war.
Trump is scheduled to visit South Korea next week, in a trip expected to highlight Washington’s solidarity with Seoul as tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to rise.
