North Korea's Kim Jong Un vows to win anti-US battle as country marks Korean War anniversary
Kim "affirmed that our state and its people would surely achieve the great cause of building a rich country with a strong army and become honorable victors in the anti-imperialist, anti-U.S. showdown," KCNA state news agency said, referring to his visit to a war museum on a previous day.
North Korea signed an armistice agreement with the United States and China on July 27, 1953, ending the fighting in the three-year war. U.S. generals signed the agreement representing the United Nations forces that had backed South Korea.
North Korea calls July 27 "Victory Day" even though the armistice drew a border dividing the Korean peninsula roughly equally in area after the two sides had made major advances back and forth during the war.
South Korea does not mark the day with any major events.
But in a speech read out on July 27 at a commemoration ceremony honoring Korean War veterans in Washington, South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung pledged to further cement the country's alliance with the United States and protect freedom and peace.
"Through efforts in various fields including politics, economy, security, and culture, we will further strengthen the noble South Korea-U.S. alliance forged in blood and make even more efforts to firmly protect freedom and peace on the Korean Peninsula," Lee said.
North Korea is now fighting alongside Russia in the war in Ukraine. Thousands of North Korean troops were deployed to Russia's Kursk region, while Pyongyang has also supplied Russia with munitions. It may deploy more troops in July or August, South Korea has said.
Kim also visited memorials honouring the veterans of the 1950-53 war including the Tower of Friendship remembering the Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers who fought with the North Koreans, and met soldiers in an artillery regiment to celebrate the day, state media KCNA said.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park in Seoul; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Kate Mayberry)
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