North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared that Pyongyang’s military alliance with Russia “will advance non-stop,” during a ceremony in Pyongyang on Friday marking the first anniversary of North Korea’s deployment of troops to Russia’s Kursk region in support of Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
The event, held at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new memorial dedicated to North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Russian forces, commemorated what Kim described as a “historic peak” in relations between the two countries. The North Korean leader praised the alliance as one “forged through precious blood,” vowing it would remain steadfast against “domination and tyranny.”
According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim said, “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.”
Under the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed last year, Pyongyang sent an estimated 10,000 troops to Russia, marking the first large-scale foreign deployment of North Korean forces in decades. Their participation in the months-long Battle of Kursk contributed to a Russian victory in March of this year and solidified the emerging military axis between Moscow and Pyongyang.
The alliance has also reshaped the strategic balance on the Korean Peninsula. Russian officials have stated that Moscow would reciprocate militarily if North Korea were attacked, marking a significant escalation in regional security dynamics.
Kim’s remarks follow his high-profile appearance alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Beijing’s military parade in September commemorating the 80th anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender—his first multilateral appearance since taking power in 2012. Xi has also expressed interest in expanding China’s partnership with Pyongyang, signaling renewed Cold War-style alignment between North Korea, Russia, and China after years of isolation for Pyongyang following the collapse of the Soviet Union.