North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stated that the military alliance between North Korea and Russia will "advance non-stop," according to state media KCNA on Friday (Oct 24). He made the remarks during the groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial dedicated to North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Russian forces in Russia's Kursk region amid Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine. Kim emphasized that the years of military solidarity, established at the cost of precious lives to secure long-term friendship, would continue uninterrupted, and that the two countries’ ties could not be obstructed by external "domination and tyranny," KCNA reported.

The ceremony was the latest recognition of North Korean troops who participated in Russia’s efforts to repel Ukrainian forces. Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin have signed a mutual defense agreement, and North Korea has supplied soldiers, artillery, and missiles to support Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Kyiv and Seoul estimate that North Korea sent over 10,000 troops in exchange for economic and military technology aid from Russia. South Korea’s intelligence agency reported in September that roughly 2,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed in the conflict. Meanwhile, Putin remained defiant on Thursday after US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies to pressure the Kremlin to end the war. Trump is scheduled to visit South Korea, a long-standing rival of North Korea, next week.