Seoul, Jan 6 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited the construction site of a memorial for the North's soldiers killed in Russia's war against Ukraine, hailing their sacrifice as an 'eternal cornerstone' for Pyongyang, state media reported on Tuesday.
Kim "visited the construction site of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations" in Pyongyang the previous day and dug the first shovelful of earth for the museum's tree planting, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
Images released by the North's state media showed Kim's wife, Ri Sol-ju, and daughter Ju-ae accompanied Kim at the event, with Ju-ae seen digging the ground along with her father in the tree planting.
Kim said the sacrifice of North Korean troops "would serve as the solid root and eternal cornerstone supporting the mightiness of the motherly DPRK," according to the KCNA.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name of the country, Yonhap news agency reported.
While awarding official commendations in August last year to soldiers who were dispatched to support Russia in the war, Kim unveiled a plan to create a special street in Pyongyang commemorating their sacrifice, with construction of the museum launched in October.
It marks the first time North Korea will build a museum commemorating soldiers killed in action overseas.
North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops and conventional weapons to support Russia's war efforts, with thousands believed to have been killed in action.
Earlier on January 5, North Korea test-launched hypersonic missiles in Pyongyang that successfully struck targets in the East Sea, with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance.
"A sub-unit under a major firing strike group of the Korean People's Army conducted a missile launching drill" to evaluate the country's war deterrence and the readiness of the weapon system, as well as to verify its capacity to fulfill missions, the KCNA had said.
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