North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked the 80th anniversary of liberation from Japanese colonial rule by visiting a cemetery and mausoleum and exchanging letters with Vladimir Putin, as state propaganda used the holiday to highlight the strength of Russia-DPRK ties.

But while the leaders’ letters celebrated their countries’ joint fight against imperial Japan, official coverage ignored the fact that the Soviet Union played the leading role in liberating and occupying the northern half of the peninsula and instead primarily credited Kim Il Sung’s military feats with achieving the victory over colonialism.

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