Overview
- A Russian delegation, which attended Sunday’s opening of a Pyongyang memorial to North Korean fighters killed in Russia’s war, met Kim Jong Un as Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin delivered greetings from Vladimir Putin.
- Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov told Kim that Moscow is ready to sign a Russia–DPRK military cooperation plan for 2027–2031 this year, framing ties as long term and stable.
- Belousov awarded Russia’s Orders of Courage to Korean People’s Army troops for what Moscow calls the operation to liberate the Kursk region, elevating their status with public honors.
- Putin sent a telegram thanking North Korean soldiers for taking part in combat in Russia’s Kursk region and said the new museum would stand as a symbol of bilateral unity.
- The events follow a 2024 strategic pact between Kim and Putin, with regional outlets reporting 11,000–15,000 North Korean troops in Russia’s campaign, a claim repeated by TASS, KCNA, Yonhap, and the Kyiv Independent but not independently verified.