In this photo from North Korean state media, Kim Jong Un delivers an address at the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly, Mar. 23, 2026.
The North Korea-Russia relationship remains in a honeymoon phase, at least if the series of visits by Russian dignitaries to Pyongyang in late April is any guide.
The inauguration ceremony of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations was held in Pyongyang on April 26, with Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin there to represent Moscow. This marked the completion of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s project to honor the North Korean soldiers who fought in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Flags of both countries were hoisted as Kim spoke.
Five days prior, Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev met with Minister of Social Security Pang Tu Sop. A meeting with the head of a security agency is notable. At the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly in March, Kim issued instructions for a reorganization of “Social Security Forces” into “police forces.”
Around the same time, a groundbreaking ceremony for the DPRK-Russia Friendship Hospital was held at the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone by the Sea of Japan, which was attended by Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexander Kozlov. North Korean Minister of Public Health Kim Tu-won said that once complete, the hospital “will offer vitality for beautiful living not only to local residents but also to visitors of our world-class tourist attractions.”
