Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, visited the Liberation Tower on August 14 to commemorate the 81st anniversary of Korea's liberation, laying flowers in honor of the Soviet soldiers. Russian President Vladimir Putin also sent a congratulatory message, highlighting the friendship between the two nations.
The Korean Central News Agency reported on August 15 that "Dear Comrade Kim Jong Un visited the Liberation Tower on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the liberation of the homeland." The tower, located in Pyongyang, serves as a memorial for Soviet soldiers who died fighting against Japanese forces in 1945. Kim was accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae and his wife Ri Sol-ju during the visit.
According to the report, Kim stated, "The excellent history and tradition, as well as the blood ties between North Korea and Russia, serve as the fundamental cornerstone and immense driving force for the friendly cooperative relationship between our two countries today. The great friendship and unity between the peoples of our two nations, forged through noble ideology and genuine combat camaraderie, will be firmly inherited and developed across generations alongside a new era of comprehensive flourishing."
Since the signing of a treaty establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024, Kim has visited the Liberation Tower each year on this date. Under this treaty, if one country faces military aggression, the other is obligated to provide military assistance. Following this agreement, North Korea began deploying combat troops and engineers to support Russia in the Ukraine conflict starting in October 2024.
President Putin also sent a congratulatory message to Kim, celebrating the 80th anniversary of liberation. He remarked, "Today, the relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang has reached an unprecedented level of comprehensive strategic partnership. Our countries are actively cooperating in all areas and aligning efforts to ensure regional security and stability."
He emphasized, "I am confident that we will continue our constructive joint efforts on urgent bilateral and international issues for the welfare of the Russian and Korean peoples and to establish a more just and truly democratic world order."
Putin's mention of joint efforts likely refers to North Korea's military deployments to Russia.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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