Wreath-laying ceremony to Soviet troops monument held in NKorea.

9/5 Tass 115

PYONGYANG, May 9 (Itar-Tass) - Russian diplomats laid down on Sunday
flowers at the "Liberation" monument in Pyongyang to the strains of a
Korean military orchestra.
The monument was erected in honour of Soviet troops who died for the
freedom of Korean people. The ceremony was led by Russian Ambassador to
the DPRK Valery Sukhinin and military attache of the embassy Alexei
Bartusov.
The memory of Soviet servicemen was also honoured by staff members of
embassies of other countries and representatives of international
humanitarian organisations.
A guard of honour was lined up at the monument with the inscription:
"Eternal glory to the great Soviet Army, which liberated Korean people
from the yoke of Japanese militarists and which opened them the road to
freedom and independence". Wreath-laying ceremonies at the graves of
Soviet servicemen were also held in other cities of the people's republic
on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Victory in the Second World
War.
There are 12 military memorial objects in the North Korea, keeping
memory of Soviet soldiers who died for the liberation of Korea in 1945 in
battles against the Japanese army.
According to the Russian diplomatic mission, 1,372 Soviet citizens,
including 992 servicemen, were buried in the North Korean capital and in
the territory of the people's republic. Identities not all of them were
established, but the list of unidentified servicemen is dwindling down
with every passing year thanks to painstaking work in archives, including
that of the Russian Defence Ministry.
In turn, the North Korean authorities also tender to the graves of
Soviet Army troops, paying special attention to this question.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il headed the list of the country's
citizens who were awarded the Russian anniversary medal "65 years of
Victory in the Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945" on the eve of the holiday.
He was awarded this medal "for close attention to the memory of the feat
of Soviet Army men and for organisation of great care for the monuments
and burial places of Soviet soldiers in the Korean land".
-0-bur/gor