On October 9, 2025, the grand stage of Pyongyang was set for a moment that perfectly captured the deepening ties between Russia and North Korea. Russian pop star Shaman, whose patriotic anthems have become synonymous with Moscow’s own brand of nationalism, took to the stage with a new song—one that would soon ripple far beyond the concert hall. The track, titled "The Sun of Korea," was dedicated to none other than North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and performed as part of the lavish celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of North Korea’s ruling party. Shaman, never one to shy away from spectacle, punctuated his performance by chanting “Comrade Kim Jong Un” as he jumped energetically across the stage, according to footage posted by composer Ruslan Ostashko and reported by NK News.
The performance was more than just a musical number. It was an overt blending of propaganda styles from both countries, an upbeat track that borrowed heavily from the tradition of North Korean songs glorifying their leaders. The lyrics and choreography, as described by NK News, praised the "war-forged friendship" between Russia and North Korea, a phrase that now seems to echo through both nations’ official narratives. The concert, attended by high-ranking North Korean officials and a carefully selected audience, was a striking display of cultural diplomacy—one that signaled just how closely Moscow and Pyongyang have aligned their messaging in recent months.
But the spectacle in Pyongyang was only the beginning of a week that saw Russian and North Korean propaganda intertwine in even more provocative ways. Just a few days later, on October 13, Moscow’s Victory Museum flung open its doors to the public for the opening of the “Shoulder To Shoulder” exhibition—a showcase of North Korean propaganda art that left little to the imagination. The exhibition, as reported by RFE/RL, was designed to highlight the “decades of cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang,” stretching all the way from the Korean War of the 1950s to today’s increasingly close partnership between the two diplomatically isolated states.
Visitors to the Victory Museum found themselves confronted by a series of pencil sketches and graphic illustrations that depicted North Korean troops fighting in Russia’s Kursk region against Ukrainian forces. These images, described by Professor B.G. Muhn of Georgetown University as one of North Korea’s most popular art forms, did not shy away from violence. The drawings depicted Ukrainian soldiers being shot dead, fleeing in terror, and suffering at the hands of North Korean snipers. Some sketches portrayed wounded North Korean soldiers pulling the pins on grenades, while others showed Ukrainians in grotesque caricature—a visual style reminiscent of World War II-era propaganda, according to RFE/RL’s coverage.
“Pencil drawings depicting war remain one of North Korea’s most popular art forms,” Professor Muhn explained to RFE/RL, noting that such images often serve as the foundation for more elaborate propaganda pieces. In these works, the violence is not just a backdrop but a central message: the soldiers are presented as fighting for the nation, supporting Russia as a "strong ally." The exhibition’s message was unambiguous—North Korea and Russia stand united, shoulder to shoulder, against their common foes.
But the exhibition’s impact didn’t stop at the visual. Artifacts purportedly recovered from the battlefield were also on display, including bloodstained letters and a journal with a bullet hole—relics that lent an air of grim authenticity to the show. A statuette depicted Russian and North Korean soldiers standing together, further underscoring the message of solidarity. The exhibition was, perhaps surprisingly, open to all ages, despite the graphic violence on display. Young women and families were seen viewing the sketches and artifacts, a testament to how deeply propaganda now permeates public life in both countries.
For Aleksander Shkolnik, director of the Victory Museum, the exhibition was more than just an art show. He hailed it as the culmination of “eight decades of partnership between the two authoritarian countries for the triumph of justice and kindness, and for peace on our planet.” His words, reported by RFE/RL, reflect the official line that has come to define the Russia-North Korea relationship: one of shared struggle, mutual support, and a common vision for the future—however at odds that vision may be with the views of much of the world.
The "Shoulder To Shoulder" exhibition was not the first of its kind in Moscow. It followed closely on the heels of another North Korean propaganda show in the Russian capital, which closed on October 10. That earlier exhibition had only hinted at the presence of Ukrainian soldiers, opting for a more subdued approach. In contrast, "Shoulder To Shoulder" pulled no punches, portraying Ukrainians being killed in scenes that bordered on the gruesome, with a graphic novel-like flair. The escalation in visual rhetoric was impossible to miss, and it mirrored the increasingly explicit political and military alignment between Moscow and Pyongyang.
All of this comes at a time when both Russia and North Korea find themselves largely cut off from the Western world. Sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and ongoing conflicts—most notably Russia’s war in Ukraine—have pushed the two countries closer together. The blending of propaganda, from pop songs in Pyongyang to graphic art in Moscow, is both a reflection and a tool of this new alliance. It is meant to rally domestic audiences, intimidate adversaries, and send a clear message: Russia and North Korea are united, not just in words, but in culture, art, and public spectacle.
Yet, for all the bombast and bravado, the deeper story is one of two nations seeking validation and support in a world where both have become pariahs. The use of art, music, and public exhibitions to reinforce their partnership is not new, but the intensity and visibility of these efforts have reached new heights in 2025. Whether this signals a lasting shift in the geopolitical landscape remains to be seen, but for now, the message from Moscow and Pyongyang is loud and clear—and it’s being broadcast in song, sketch, and spectacle for all to see.
As the curtain falls on a week of coordinated propaganda, one thing is certain: the alliance between Russia and North Korea is being forged not just in the halls of power, but in the hearts and minds of their people, with every note sung and every pencil stroke drawn.