N. Korea Ends Covid-Era Pause In Visits Of Foreign Off'ls, Showcases Banned Missiles

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received a Russian delegation led by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and a Chinese delegation led by Politburo member Li Hongzhong in Pyongyang, ending a spell of his country's strict strict Covid-era isolation, which saw the borders sealed for all foreign guests.

• During the first visit of a Russian defence chief to North Korea since the collapse of the USSR, Kim showcased missiles banned by UN resolutions supported by Russia and China, another sign of Russia's decoupling from the international system.
• The two delegations participated in events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice. Both handed Kim letters from the respective leaders, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
• This comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions on the Korean Peninsula, which have seen multiple North Korean missile tests and the arrival of two US nuclear-powered submarines, which docked in South Korea.
• Furthermore, the whereabouts and fate of a US soldier who recently crossed the border into North Korea currently remain unknown, but Pyongyang is expected to leverage the incident for propaganda purposes.
• The subject of talks between North Korea and the visiting delegations is unclear, but Pyongyang has been accused by the US of providing artillery shells and missiles to Russia to support its ongoing invasion invasion of Ukraine.