Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, visited the construction site of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations. He was accompanied by senior Party, government officials, and daughter.
Upon arrival, Kim Jong Un was greeted by the commanding officers of the army unit responsible for the construction. The visit focused on the progress of the museum project and included symbolic acts of participation.
Encouragement and Participation
Kim Jong Un offered encouragement to the soldier-builders at the site. He expressed thanks for their devotion to ensuring high-quality construction, noting they were bearing in mind the unanimous wish of the people and military to immortalize “the great heroes.”
The visit included a tree-planting activity as part of the museum’s greening plan. Kim Jong Un dug the first spadeful of earth alongside senior officials and then participated in planting for an extended period with the soldiers.
During this activity, he emphasized the symbolic importance of the landscaping. “Even a single tree or a single blade of grass, to be rooted in the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations, should be associated with our people’s deep respects and noble moral obligation for the heroic soldiers who sacrificed themselves without hesitation, aspiring after the immortality and eternal prosperity of our glorious state,” he stated.
Significance of the Museum
Kim Jong Un framed the museum’s purpose in the context of national history and future education. He said the noble sacrifice and heroic feats of the participants in what he described as a “sacred war for justice and dignity” would serve as “the solid root and eternal cornerstone supporting the mightiness of the motherly DPRK, adding throb of patriotism to the mind of all generations in the Republic.”
After the tree-planting, he toured the construction site to learn about the project’s progress.
He characterized the museum as “the crystallization of our Party and people’s eternal gratitude and respects for the representatives of the great fame of the country and a grand monument to the times symbolic of heroism and bravery of the Korean people’s excellent sons.”
A Base for Education and Demonstration
Kim Jong Un outlined the expected outcomes of the project. He stated that upon completion, the museum would provide “another important ideological and spiritual base for education in the tradition of victory” in the country’s capital.
He further added that the establishment would allow the people to “powerfully demonstrate before the world the immortality of the DPRK, our great motherland, and the invincibility of the Korean People’s Army,” particularly during major commemorative days like Victory Day (V-Day).
Reflecting on the war martyrs, whom he described as “eternal stars of the country,” Kim Jong Un affirmed his view of the military’s loyalty. “Nobody in the world can match such army as those who readily dedicated their lives to the dignity and fame of their motherland, absolutely remaining faithful to the order of the Party and it is the immutable truth and law proven by history,” he said.
He concluded the tour by providing what were described as “precious teachings” for completing the construction at the highest level.
Conclusion of the Visit
The visit concluded with Kim Jong Un posing for a photograph with the officers and soldiers involved in the museum’s construction. The soldier-builders, according to the information provided, pledged to perfect the museum’s construction, describing it as “a sacred edifice of heroic Korea representing the great era of Kim Jong Un,” and stated they felt the “ardent kinship” of the leader.
