North Korea rolled out the red carpet for the Russian Defense Minister, state media said Wednesday, with delegations from Moscow and Beijing set to attend Korean War anniversary events.
Pyongyang on Thursday will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the July 27, 1953 Korean War armistice, which ended open hostilities and is marked as Victory Day in the North.
The Russian national anthem blared throughout Pyongyang International Airport, which was “wrapped up in a warm welcome atmosphere” to greet Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his delegation Tuesday evening, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
“Flags of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation were fluttering at the flagstaffs and the guards of honor of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) lined up at the station before the terminal,” state media said.
Shoigu was greeted by North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam, and photos carried by the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed hundreds of uniformed KPA soldiers lining the airport holding signs welcoming the Russians.
The North Koreans expressed their “full support” for the Russian army and people, “who are struggling to defend the sovereign rights and development and interests of their country,” KCNA added.
Russia, a historic ally of Pyongyang, is one of a handful of nations that maintains friendly relations with the North.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been steadfast in his support for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, including, Washington says, supplying rockets and missiles.
Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, South Korea, said the fact that Russia’s defence minister flew to Pyongyang while his country is at war was “very significant.”
“Even though the emergency quarantine system [in North Korea] remains in place, Kim Jong Un may have felt the need to show something to his people at the Victory Day celebrations,” Park told AFP.
For the Chinese and Russians, their presence could send a “strong unified message” to the United States, he added.
