North Korea's Kim says military ties with Russia will 'advance nonstop'

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said military brotherhood between his country and Russia would “advance non-stop,” state news agency KCNA reported Friday.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the military brotherhood between his country and Russia would “advance nonstop,” state news agency KCNA reported Friday.

Kim made the comments during a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial for North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Russian troops in Russia’s Kursk region during Moscow’s ongoing war with Ukraine, KCNA said.

“The years of militant fraternity, in which a guarantee has been provided for the long-term development of the bilateral friendship at the cost of precious blood, will advance nonstop,” Kim said, according to KCNA. Challenges by the “domination and tyranny” cannot hinder the two countries’ ties, he added.

The event was the latest public honoring of North Korean troops who fought in Russia to repel an incursion by Ukrainian forces.

Kim Jong Un honors North Korean soldiers returning from Ukraine01:12Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin have signed a mutual defense pact. North Korea has sent soldiers, artillery ammunition and missiles to Russia to support Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.