Russian Defense Minister Shoigu receives the red carpet treatment from Kim Jong Un

The country’s first known foreign visitors since the recent border lockdown, delegations from Beijing and Moscow, are scheduled to attend Korean War anniversary ceremonies. North Korea reportedly threw out the red carpet for the Russian defense minister.

On Thursday, Pyongyang will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War and is known as Victory Day in the North and was signed on July 27, 1953.

In order to welcome Sergei Shoigu and his party from Moscow, the Russian national anthem was played throughout Pyongyang International Airport, which was described as being “wrapped up in a warm welcome atmosphere” by the Korean Central News Agency.

The Korean People’s Army (KPA) lined up at the station before the terminal, while flags of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation fluttered at the flagstaffs, according to KCNA.

Photos published by the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed hundreds of uniformed KPA troops queuing the airport with placards greeting the Russians. Shoigu was welcomed by North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam.

The Russian army and people, who are “struggling to defend the sovereign rights and development and interests of their country,” received the “full support” of the North Koreans, according to KCNA.

One of the few countries that continues to have cordial ties with the North is Russia, a longtime supporter of Pyongyang.

Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, has consistently backed Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, including, according to Washington, by providing rockets and missiles.

Professor Park Won-gon of Ewha University in Seoul said it was “very significant” that the Russian defense minister traveled to Pyongyang when his nation was at war.

Kim Jong Un may have felt the need to demonstrate something to his people during the Victory Day festivities, according to Park, who spoke to AFP.

He went on to say that the Chinese and Russian presence may convey a “strong unified message” to the US.

BORDER POLICY CHANGE?

A post-pandemic first, the invitation of international visitors to this year’s festivities suggests more latitude in the use of border restrictions.

In addition, China said that it will send a delegation to the Thursday anniversary celebration headed by Politburo member Li Hongzhong, who was scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang later on Wednesday.

Since the beginning of 2020, North Korea has been subject to a strict self-imposed coronavirus blockade that forbids even its own citizens from entering the country in order to defend itself against Covid-19.

Only a little amount of commerce with China was restored by the North last year, and this year Wang Yajun was given permission to take over as Beijing’s ambassador. He is the first diplomat to have entered North Korea since the border was closed in January 2020 that is known to exist.

Alexander Matsegora, the Russian ambassador to Pyongyang, is reported to have stayed in the North Korean capital during the epidemic even as his embassy’s personnel numbers decreased and other foreign embassies shuttered their doors.