Overview
- On Jan. 5, Kim inspected the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at Overseas Military Operations site in Pyongyang, planted a tree, and appeared with his wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter Kim Ju-ae.
- KCNA said the memorial honors North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Russian forces in the Ukraine war; construction began in October in the Hwasong District.
- Kim lauded the fallen as “the solid root and eternal cornerstone” of the DPRK and reviewed images of the dead that state media described as “eternal stars.”
- South Korea’s National Intelligence Service estimates about 15,000 North Korean troops were sent to support Russia and roughly 2,000 have been killed, figures that vary across outside reports.
- Analysts note the visit coincided with a Lee Jae Myung–Xi Jinping summit and see signaling toward Russia, while Seoul’s unification ministry views Ju-ae’s prominence as “socialist great family” imagery rather than a formal succession step.