Chinese and Russian officials joined North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un as he reviewed North Korea’s latest nuclear-capable missiles and new attack drones at a military parade in the capital Pyongyang, according to North Korean state media.
The parade in Pyongyang on Thursday night commemorated the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, celebrated in North Korea as “Victory Day”.
The parade included North Korea’s latest Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to KCNA, which are believed to have the range to strike targets anywhere in the United States. The event also featured a flyover by a new attack and spy drone.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu’s visit was the first by Moscow’s top defence official since the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union. China’s visitors were the country’s first such delegation since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Their appearance at events with the North’s nuclear missiles marked a contrast with previous years, when China and Russia sought to distance themselves from their neighbour’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development.
