North Korea: Kim of examines the building of a monument for the troops lost in the conflict in Ukraine

North Korea: According to state media on Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the building site of a monument for North Korean troops slain in Russia’s war against Ukraine, praising their sacrifice as a “eternal cornerstone” for Pyongyang.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim “visited the construction site of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations” in Pyongyang the day before and excavated the first shovelful of dirt for the museum’s tree planting.

Kim was joined at the occasion by her wife, Ri Sol-ju, and daughter, Ju-ae, according to images issued by the North’s official media. Ju-ae was seen digging the dirt with her father during the tree planting.

Kim said that the sacrifice of North Korean soldiers “would serve as the solid root and eternal cornerstone supporting the mightiness of the motherly DPRK,” the KCNA reported.

According to Yonhap news agency, the country’s official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK.

In August of last year, Kim announced plans to build a museum in October and dedicate a unique roadway in Pyongyang to honor the troops who were sent to aid Russia in the war.

For the first time, North Korea will erect a museum to honor troops who lost their lives in combat abroad.

Thousands more North Koreans are said to have died in combat while supporting Russia’s war operations with more than 10,000 soldiers and conventional weaponry.

With Kim Jong-un present, North Korea successfully fired hypersonic missiles into the East Sea during a test launch earlier on January 5 in Pyongyang.According to the KCNA, a missile launching exercise was carried out by a subunit of a major fire strike group of the Korean People’s Army “to assess the nation’s war deterrence and the readiness of the weapon system, as well as to verify its capacity to fulfill missions.”