A BBC investigation based on satellite images and official photos of a new monument in Pyongyang showed that some 2,300 North Korean soldiers died fighting for Russia against Ukraine.
After Ukraine’s surprise invasion of Kursk in August 2024, South Korea estimated that at least 11,000 North Korean personnel were sent to Russia to help retake parts of western Kursk.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has previously publicly paid tribute to soldiers killed in the war, and in return for providing the soldiers, Pyongyang is believed to have received food, money and technical help from Moscow.
The secretive regime has never revealed the death toll from the Operation Kursk, which Russia says it has fully reclaimed – but new memorials offer clear clues for the first time – here’s what they told us.
name on wall
In October 2025, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the construction of a museum in Pyongyang’s Hwaseong area to commemorate soldiers who died in the Russian-Ukrainian War.
Work began in the heavily forested area the same month, according to a BBC analysis of satellite images provided by US imaging company Planet Labs.
[BBC]
In December, the crude shell of the 52-square-kilometer complex was clearly visible. By March, most of the exterior construction appeared to be complete. The landscaping and surrounding facilities were completed last month.
The Overseas Military Operations Commemorative Museum was opened on April 26 to convey the “unparalleled bravery” displayed by North Korean soldiers during their deployment in the “Liberation War.” [the] Kursk region,” KCNA reported.
The memorial hall consists of two 30m (98ft) long memorial walls with names engraved on them, a building and a cemetery.
A BBC analysis of multiple images released by KCNA showed that each wall was divided into approximately 14 sections, with gray stone lines marking the top. According to BBC calculations, nine of the sections are engraved with names, and each section contains approximately 16 columns.
[BBC]
[BBC]
A close-up photo of the east wall shows a column inscribed with the names of eight fallen soldiers.
There are 16 columns and 9 sections, which equates to 1,152 names on each wall, bringing the total number of names on the two memorial walls to 2,304.
[BBC]
Songhak Chung, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Security Strategy, agreed with the BBC’s findings.
“The memorial wall is filled with the names of fallen soldiers written in extremely small letters. Given the surface area and density of writing, the number of people recorded there could be in the thousands,” he said.
The exact number cannot be determined due to a lack of higher-resolution images, but the BBC’s estimate is close to the number put forward by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).
In September 2025, the spy agency said about 2,000 North Korean soldiers were killed and another 2,700 wounded.
But by February this year, the National Intelligence Service updated that number, saying that about 6,000 of the estimated 11,000 military personnel deployed to Russia had been killed or injured, although it did not provide specific figures. Neither Pyongyang nor Moscow provided any official data.
“Layered System”
Korean research company SI Analytics said the memorial itself has a “graded commemoration system.”
Soldiers who showed “extraordinary bravery” were honored on outdoor graves and headstones, while others were commemorated in urns inside columbariums.
Kim Jin-mu, a former senior researcher at the government-funded Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said those buried in the cemetery could include salvaged bodies, high-ranking military officers or individuals who received special recognition, including those who made self-sacrifice.
According to satellite images taken by SI Analytics in early April, there are approximately 140 graves on the west side of the cemetery and 138 on the opposite side.
There is also what appears to be a gray building in the center of the cemetery, likely a columbarium containing urns, Zhong said.
[BBC]
“The entire wall appears to be filled with storage chambers for remains in a grid pattern,” Chung said of the columbarium.
“this [columbariam] The three-story building, even excluding offices and exhibition areas, can house at least 1,000 sets of remains in its indoor storage vault alone. ” Zhong said.
[KCNA]
justification of war
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it was “difficult to confirm” whether all the fallen soldiers had been hung on the wall.
However, researcher Kim believes that the names of all North Korean soldiers who died in Kursk are likely to be inscribed.
“The purpose of this memorial is to reward those who have sacrificed in service to their country and to maintain public support,” he said. “Omitting names may cause resentment among the families of the deceased and defeat its purpose.”
North Korean state media also reported that a residential complex for Russian veterans and families of the deceased had been built in the same area. Residents began moving in in March.
Cho Han-beom, a senior researcher at the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification, said Pyongyang’s decision to build a monument to fallen soldiers reflected efforts to justify the deployment after inflicting heavy casualties.
“For North Korea, Russia is the only country with which it can cooperate militarily in its current state of isolation,” he said.
The monument also demonstrates Pyongyang’s willingness to continue military cooperation with Russia “regardless of how the war develops.”
Graphics by Arvin Supriyadi. Additional reporting by Grace Tsoi