SEOUL, Jan 26 - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited an art studio on Sunday to guide the creation of sculptures to be displayed at a memorial for North Korean troops who died fighting overseas, state media KCNA said on Monday.

Under a mutual defence pact with Russia, in 2024 North Korea sent some 14,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, where more than 6,000 of them were killed, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western sources.