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.
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. At the ceremony, Ju Chang-il, a secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's Central Committee, praised their work.
The memorial opened in Pyongyang in April last year. It holds the remains of fallen soldiers and features sculptures and paintings by the studio, known for state propaganda art.
North Korea has sent around 15,000 combat troops to Russia since 2024. Seoul's spy agency estimated about 6,000 North Korean soldiers were killed or injured.