North Korea honors artists behind memorial to its troops killed in Russia-Ukraine war

North Korea has awarded party and state commendations to the artists behind a memorial built for its soldiers killed while fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine, Pyongyang's state media reported Wednesday.

The awards, given the previous day, recognized officials and artists at the Mansudae Art Studio for their "distinguished merits in the construction" of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats, which the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) called "a great monument of the times."

At the awarding ceremony, Ju Chang-il, a secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's central committee, praised their work for making the museum "the one that comprehensively reflects the level of Korean architecture and fine art," the KCNA said.

The memorial opened in Pyongyang in April last year, built to hold the remains of fallen soldiers and honor their role in the war. It is adorned with sculptures and paintings depicting the soldiers by artists at the studio, known for propaganda posters, monuments and fine art for the state.

North Korea has sent around 15,000 combat troops to Russia since 2024 to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. Seoul's spy agency earlier said about 6,000 North Korean soldiers were estimated to have been killed or injured in the prolonged war.

Yonhap