Putin's rare visit to North Korea marks 24‑year return

Vladimir Putin arrived in North Korea on Tuesday evening. This is the first visit by the Russian dictator to the country in 24 years. Recordings from Pyongyang are circulating online.

Many of the reports provided by Russian state media or Kremlin officials are likely not true. Such reports may be part of an information war by the Russian Federation.

On Tuesday evening, Vladimir Putin landed in Pyongyang. To mark the Russian dictator's visit, a colorful parade was organized in the city, attended by a crowd of citizens.

Videos documenting the royal welcome of the Kremlin leader are appearing online.

At the beginning of his visit to North Korea, Putin stated that Russia is fighting against the "hegemonic and imperialist policies" of the United States and its allies, reported the Reuters agency, citing the Russian state agency RIA Novosti.

The dictator from Moscow also told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that he "appreciates the support" of his country for Kremlin policies. "Russia appreciates North Korea's consistent and unwavering support for Russian policy, including the Ukrainian course," he said at the beginning of the talks.

In recent months, relations between Russia and North Korea have deepened on many levels.

Kim Jong Un, who rarely travels abroad, visited Vladivostok in September 2023, where he met with Putin. At the end of February, the South Korean Defense Ministry estimated that, since that meeting, North Korea had sent about 7,400 containers of ammunition to Russia, which the Russian military used during the war with Ukraine.

This current trip is Putin's first visit to North Korea since July 2000, when he held talks with the then-leader Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un's father.

Source: X/PAP