Russia’s Def Min Shoigu and China’s Li will attend celebrations marking the anniversary of the Korean War Armistice

North Korea may be reopening its borders to high-level visitors after a protracted pandemic shutdown as it will this week welcome the Russian defense minister and a high-level Chinese delegation to Pyongyang for Korean War armistice anniversary festivities, according to official media on Tuesday.

A day after confirming that a Chinese team will also attend the ceremony on Thursday, the Korean Central News Agency said that a military mission from the Russian Federation, headed by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, would conduct a congratulations visit to the DPRK.

One of Pyongyang’s longtime friends, Russia is still one of the few countries that has cordial ties with the North, and Kim Jong Un has lately been unwavering in his support for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, including, according to Washington, by sending rockets and missiles.

The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement saying, “This visit will contribute to strengthening Russian-North Korean military ties and will be an important step in the development of cooperation between the two countries.”

The principal commercial partner of North Korea, China, also said on Tuesday that a team headed by Politburo member Li Hongzhong will go there.

The international tourists are scheduled to join celebrations in Pyongyang to commemorate Victory Day, or 70 years since the signing of the armistice, which would be marked in a “grand manner that will go down in history,” according to KCNA.

This week is anticipated to see a large-scale military parade as well as other activities, and satellite photographs show that troops and citizens have been practicing for the march for months, according to the Seoul-based specialized website NK News.

Largest nuclear-capable missiles and other military prowess belonging to Leader Kim are set to pass through Kim Il Sung Square for the occasion, it said.

WASHINGTON MONITORING, SEOUL

The defence ministry in Seoul said on Tuesday that it had found more “people and equipment” in Pyongyang, adding that US and South Korean intelligence services were keenly watching the North’s forthcoming holiday.

The groups from China and Russia are the first foreign delegations to have visited since the epidemic began.

Since the beginning of 2020, North Korea has been subject to a strict self-imposed coronavirus blockade to defend itself against Covid-19, which has stopped even its own citizens from entering the nation.

It only partially restarted commerce with China last year, and this year it permitted Beijing’s new ambassador to begin his duties.

Beijing said that the group will arrive in Pyongyang on Wednesday, indicating that a lengthy quarantine would not be necessary before the Thursday anniversary celebration.

On July 27, 1953, hostilities in the Korean War came to an end, but since there was never a peace treaty to replace it, the two Koreas are still considered to be at war.

According to Yang Moo-jin, head of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, “it is anticipated that North Korea will try to reap the benefits of Beijing condoning its nuclear development by unveiling a new ICBM when a Chinese high-level delegation attends its large-scale military parade.”

In light of the continuing US-China conflict’s disruption of world politics, it seems that the goal is to highlight the growing unity between North Korea and China.

He continued by saying that it may possibly be an indication that China and the North would soon restore their border.

Beijing is North Korea’s most significant economic supporter and friend; their connection was created in the blood of the 1950s Korean War.

USA RELATIONS

Seoul said that North Korea launched two ballistic missiles late on Monday. This was the most current in Pyongyang’s recent run of weapons tests, which have occurred as Seoul and Washington expand their defense partnership.

The first such deployment since 1981 took place last week when a US nuclear-capable submarine visited South Korea.

A second US submarine, the nuclear-powered USS Annapolis, landed at a South Korean military station on Monday in a move that undoubtedly further incensed the North.

As Pyongyang and Seoul’s diplomatic efforts have stagnated and Kim has called for accelerating the development of weapons, especially tactical nukes, relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest periods in history.

Due to US soldier Travis King, who went over the border into North Korea last week while on a tour of the demilitarized zone, tensions have lately increased once again.

The UN Command, a US-led international force that supervises the Korean War Armistice, said on Monday that talks with Pyongyang over the American serviceman had started.