Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov stated yesterday, local time, that a monument honoring the heroic actions of North Korean and Russian soldiers will be established in Kursk this autumn.

According to TASS news agency, Minister Belousov attended a reception hosted by the North Korean Embassy in Russia commemorating the Day of Liberation of the Fatherland (Korea's Liberation Day). He recalled it as an "honor" to have attended the completion ceremony of the "Combat Feats Memorial for Overseas Military Operations" in North Korea last April, and made the remarks accordingly.

Belousov claimed that "thanks to Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, allied and fraternal relations have been established between the two countries."

He went on to praise that "brave North Korean soldiers, alongside the Russian military, liberated the Kursk region from the neo-Nazi forces of the Kyiv regime, supported mine-clearing operations, and helped restore infrastructure."

Shin Hong-chol, the North Korean ambassador to Russia, stated that the North Korean troops operated under the direct orders of leader Kim Jong-un during their deployment to Kursk.

Last month, sculptor Alexei Chebanenko, who works with the Russian Ministry of Defense, told the media that a monument related to the deployment of North Korean troops in Kursk is currently being designed.

North Korea has been tightening its military alignment with Russia by signing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty in June 2024.

In October of the same year, Pyongyang dispatched troops to the Russian Kursk frontline, which had been briefly controlled by Ukrainian forces, to help the Russian military reclaim the region.

Meanwhile, at the same event, Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov announced that the construction of a road bridge across the Tumen River will be completed within this year, with vehicle traffic expected to begin soon.