Pyongyang Opens Street in Honor of North Korean Soldiers Who Died in Battles in Kursk Oblast
Pyongyang hosted a grand opening ceremony for Saebyeol Street ('New Star') in honor of 'heroes who participated in foreign military operations.' This was reported by the North Korean state agency KCNA. As TASS notes, this refers to DPRK military personnel who died in battles in the Kursk region. However, Russia is not mentioned at all in the original message. KCNA writes that a 'monumental architectural complex' was erected in Pyongyang, which 'captures the determination of the entire nation to eternally pass on the shining deeds of the heroes – soldiers of foreign military operations, who gave their lives without the slightest hesitation for the immortal honor and eternal prosperity of our great Motherland.' North Korean leader Kim Jong Un participated in the ceremony – he solemnly cut the ribbon and announced the opening of the street. Other officials, soldiers who fought in the Kursk region, and families of the fallen soldiers were also present at the event. Kim Jong Un's daughter, Kim Ju Ae, who is called the future leader of the country by the media, also came to the opening. 'Comrade Kim Jong Un said that Saebyeol Street is the honor of our generation, as well as the pride of Pyongyang and our nation, and expressed his ardent wish that with today's completion of construction, which will forever preserve the names and images of the war martyrs, they will live forever, and that this street, where noble souls rest and the respect of the entire country is gathered, will always be filled with happiness and joy,' writes KCNA. Permissions to use residential buildings were granted to the families of combatants. In January, Kim Jong Un approved a memorial for DPRK soldiers who died in battles against Ukraine. The monument will be erected and installed in the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats in Foreign Military Operations in Pyongyang. According to South Korean intelligence, a total of about six thousand DPRK military personnel died or were wounded in battles on Russia's side. At the same time, another ten thousand North Korean soldiers continue to be in the front-line zone.
