Ahead of celebrations of the seventieth anniversary of the Korean War armistice, Kim Jong-Un showed new missiles and defense systemst to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang on Wednesday. The celebration of North Korea's Victory Day which marks the end of 1953 hostilities between the two Koreas is attended by Russian and Chinese delegations this year.
Russia and China continue to be staunch allies of North Korea, while the two Koreas are still technically at war as a peace deal was never reached after the cessation of hostilities in 1953. They will be in attendance at a military parade to mark North Korea's Victory Day on Thursday.
Ahead of the parade, Kim Jong-Un showed the new missile systems to Shoigu during a friendly tour in Pyongyang. He showed the Russian defense chief the new Hwasong Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), which was successfully tested in April. The country's first missile system of this range, it uses solid propelllants instead of liquid-fuelled ones, which enable it to launch quicker. Also on display were two new drone designs, one which closely resembled the primary offensive strike drone used by the United States Air Force, as reported by NK News, a specialist sites which focuses on North Korea.
The tour came amidst accusations that Pyongyang has been supplying weapons to the Russian war effort in Ukraine, a claim denied by both Moscow and Pyongyang. North Korea's state broadcaster, KCNA said that Shoigu and Jong-Un discussed "matters of mutual concern". In their friendly talk, they also discussed a range of topics from national defense to the current international security environment.
Shoigui, the head of the Russian delegation in Pyongyang handed over an autographed letter to Kim-Jong Un from Russian President Vladimir Putin. KCNA claimed that Putin called the North Korean military the most powerful in the world in the letter.
The Chinese delegation led by Politburo member Li Hongzhong also handed over a letter from Chinese president, Xi Jinping. In turn, Kim Jong-Un thanked the Chinese delegation for their aid and told Mr. Li the Korean people will never forget the fact that the brave soldiers of the Chinese People's Volunteers shed blood to bring about the war victory". In 1950, Beijing sent troops to aid the North Korean war effort against South Korea and it's partners.
This visit by the delegations is a significant one. It marks the first hosting of foreign guests by North Korea since the pandemic. The last time that North Korea welcomed foreign dignitaries was also at the military parade back in 2018. Since then, they had cut off trade and diplomatic relations with the rest of the world, even their staunch allies in Russia and China in early 2020. However, this year, both nations will be in attedance at the extensive military parade on Thursday, a display of North Korea's military might and continued existence in the international world.
