SEOUL/MOSCOW – North Korea rolled out the red carpet for Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday, with delegations from Moscow and Beijing set to attend Korean War anniversary events as the country’s first-known foreign visitors since its pandemic border closure in early 2020.
The two delegations will also take part in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Victory Day on Thursday in Pyongyang, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, with Communist Party of China Politburo member Li Hongzhong leading the Beijing group.
“This visit will help strengthen Russian-North Korean military ties and will be an important stage in the development of cooperation between the two countries,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Russian national anthem was played in Pyongyang International Airport, which was “wrapped up in a warm welcome atmosphere” to greet Mr Shoigu and his delegation on Tuesday evening, KCNA said.
Mr Shoigu was greeted by North Korean Defence Minister Kang Sun Nam.
Photos carried by the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed hundreds of uniformed soldiers of the Korean People’s Army lining the airport holding signs welcoming the Russians.
A red banner with a sign saying “Welcome, Comrade Defence Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu!” in Korean and Russian stood behind a line of saluting soldiers.
Mr Shoigu laid flowers in front of giant bronze statues of former leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on Wednesday, a video shared by the Russian Defence Ministry showed.
The anniversary events are expected to include a major military parade in North Korea’s capital.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that there were “clear signs” of preparations for a midnight parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang in recent days, citing multiple unnamed government sources.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a cemetery commemorating Chinese troops who fought in the Korean War, including the grave of the eldest son of Communist China’s founder Mao Zedong, state media said on Wednesday.
China is North Korea’s long-time ally and economic benefactor, with Chairman Mao – whose son Mao Anying was among those killed – having once described their relations as “close as lips and teeth”.
China asserted on Monday that it “strictly” implements United Nations sanctions on North Korea, reacting to a letter from the Group of Seven, the European Union and others that urged Beijing to stop Pyongyang from evading the measures by using Chinese waters.
China’s exports to North Korea in June were eight times higher than a year before, when the secretive state was reporting tens of thousands of Covid-19 cases a day and had shut its border.
The United States has also accused North Korea of providing military aid to Russia for the war in Ukraine, a claim that both Pyongyang and Moscow deny.
Russia and North Korea, which both have frosty relations with the US, have long enjoyed friendly ties, and Moscow has tried to help broker a deal on Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.
The inclusion of foreign guests at this year’s celebrations is a post-pandemic first and hints at new flexibility towards enforcing border controls.
North Korea only resumed some trade with China last year and allowed new Beijing envoy Wang Yajun to take up his position this year. He is the first known diplomat to cross into North Korea since the border closure in January 2020.
US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said on Tuesday that both Russia and China “can use their influence over the DPRK (North Korea) to encourage them to refrain from threatening, unlawful behaviour”.
“They also have a potential role to play in encouraging the DPRK to return to the negotiating table,” he said. REUTERS, AFP
