North Korea’s Kim commemorates Chinese war dead on Korean War armistice anniversary

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the Friendship Tower in Pyongyang on the anniversary of the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War, vowing not to forget the sacrifices of fallen Chinese soldiers, state media reported Sunday.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim laid a wreath Saturday at the tower, stating that North Korea "would never forget the militant feats and merits of the fallen fighters of the Chinese People's Volunteers."

The armistice, signed July 27, 1953, halted the war. Since 1996, North Korea has celebrated the date as Victory Day, asserting it defeated US-led forces.

Built in 1959, the Friendship Tower honors Chinese soldiers and symbolizes North Korea-China friendship. Kim often visits the site on past anniversaries.

Kim also visited the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, laying a flower basket Saturday before a statue of Kim Il-sung and praising the victory as a triumph of Juche military ideology and tactics.

North Korea would "surely achieve the great cause of building a rich country with a strong army" and become "honorable victors in the anti-imperialist, anti-US showdown," Kim was quoted by KCNA.

He made no direct hostile remarks, however, toward the US or South Korea.