Kim walks Shoigu through DPRK's newest, most advanced weaponry

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
27 Jul 2023 08:23
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State-run DPRK media say the DPRK leader and the Russian Defense Minister discussed files of mutual interest.

Kim Jong Un in an exhibition of DPRK weaponry with visiting Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (KCNA)

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a meeting with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, during which the two sides discussed security and defense issues, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday.

On Tuesday, a Russian delegation led by Shoigu arrived in the DPRK on a three-day visit at the invitation of Pyongyang's Defense Ministry to participate in the 70th anniversary of the signing of the July 27, 1953, Korean War armistice, which ended open hostilities and is celebrated as Victory Day.

The news agency indicated that Shoigu and Kim discussed "matters of mutual concern in the field of national defence and security and on the regional and international security environment," pointing out that both sides' positions on the files discussed were in line.

According to KCNA, the meeting aimed to further strengthen relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.

The report noted that Shoigu handed Kim Jong Un a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that the two exchanged gifts.

In the same context, the DPRK state media revealed that Kim gave the Russian Defense Minister a tour of the country's newest and most advanced weaponry.

Photographs in state media showed Kim walking Shoigu through a vast defense exhibition showcasing Pyongyang's nuclear missiles and what Seoul-based specialist site NK News said were new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Kim and Shoigu visited the "Weapons and Equipment Exhibition 2023," KCNA said, showing photos that featured the DPRK's largest intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Hwasong-17, and the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM.

During the visit, Kim told Shoigu "about the weapons and equipment which were invented and produced" under the DPRK's national defense plan and "repeatedly expressed belief that the Russian army and people would achieve big successes," KCNA mentioned.

Shoigu's visit is noteworthy given that Russian defense ministers have not regularly visited Pyongyang since before the collapse of the USSR.

Kim also met a Chinese delegation led by politburo member Li Hongzhong and told him that "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," KCNA said.