Kim Jong-un gives ICBMs to the Russian Minister of Defence.
Kim Jong-un gives ICBMs to the Russian Minister of Defence.
Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, showed North Korea's ICBMs and drones that had never been seen before to the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Thursday. He did this to show how strong North Korea's military is. Shoigu, who is in charge of a Russian team, came to North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, at the request of the North Korean government. He is there to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the armistice that stopped open fighting in the Korean War, which is known as Victory Day. A group of Chinese people led by Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong also came to Pyongyang to take part in the same anniversary events, which are likely to include a big military show in the capital.
Kim Shoigu went on a tour of North Korea's weapons on Thursday. He saw the Hwasong ICBM, which was tested successfully in April. NK News, a website that focuses on North Korea, says that the Russian minister also saw two new designs for drones, one of which looks like the main attack drone used by the US Air Force. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that both Kim and Shoigu went to the "Arms and Equipment Exhibition 2023." The story also had pictures and videos of the Hwasong-17 and the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM, which are North Korea's biggest ICBMs. Before seeing North Korea's newest and most advanced weapons, Kim and Shoigu talked about "matters of mutual interest in the field of national defence and security and in the regional and international security environment," according to KCNA.
The report says that while Kim Shoigu was at the defence show, he "talked about the weapons and equipment that North Korea invented and made as part of its national defence plan" and "repeatedly said that he thought the Russian army and people would have great successes." Since the fall of the Soviet Union, this is the first time a Russian defence minister has gone to North Korea. "[Kim] talked about issues of mutual interest in the fight to protect the sovereignty, development, and interests of the two countries from the arbitrary actions of the imperialists and to achieve international justice and peace," KCNA said. North Korean state media didn't mention Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, but they did say that Kim "repeatedly expressed his belief that the Russian army and people would achieve great success in their struggle to build a powerful country."
KCNA quoted North Korean Defence Minister Kang Sun-nam as saying that North Korea fully supports Russia's "fight for justice" and is determined to protect its territory. North Korea has backed Russia in the war in Ukraine and said that the "hegemonic policies" of the US-led NATO military union of western governments pushed Moscow to take military action to protect its national security interests. In turn, the US accused Pyongyang of giving weapons to Russia to help it fight Ukrainian troops that were backed by the West. North Korea and Russia, on the other hand, have said that the US claims are just part of their normal marketing effort against countries they don't like. Russia and China, on the other hand, have strongly opposed US-led attempts in the UN Security Council to put more sanctions on North Korea because it has been testing more missiles in reaction to the US military presence and war plans on the Korean peninsula.
