27-7-2023 (SEOUL) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and high-ranking Chinese delegation member Li Hongzhong in Pyongyang ahead of major Korean War anniversary celebrations, according to state media. These are Kim’s first known foreign guests since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the meeting with Shoigu, who brought “an autographed letter” from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the leaders discussed “matters of mutual concern in the field of national defence and security and on the regional and international security environment”. Kim and Shoigu also visited a weaponry exhibition where the Russian minister was shown “new-type weapons and equipment”.
In a separate meeting, Kim met with Li, who “courteously handed to the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un a personal letter sent by Xi Jinping”, according to KCNA. Beijing is North Korea’s most important ally and economic benefactor, and the two countries have a relationship forged in the bloodshed of the Korean War in the 1950s.
North Korea is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice, which ended open hostilities and is celebrated in the country as Victory Day. Satellite imagery indicates North Korea has been preparing for a large-scale military parade for the anniversary.
The inclusion of foreign guests at this year’s celebrations is a post-pandemic first, suggesting new flexibility towards enforcing border controls. North Korea has been under a rigid, self-imposed blockade since early 2020 to protect itself from COVID-19, preventing even its own nationals from entering the country. It only resumed some trade with China last year and allowed new Beijing envoy Wang Yajun to take up his position this year.
Russia’s ambassador to Pyongyang, Alexander Matsegora, has remained in the North Korean capital throughout the pandemic, even as staff numbers at his embassy dwindled and other foreign missions closed their doors.
