Shoigu's visit to North Korea spurs questions about military assistance

Walking past huge intercontinental ballistic missiles and previously unseen military drones, Kim Jong Un gave Russia's defence minister a tour of North Korea's newest and most advanced weaponry Thursday (July 27), state media reported.

After Washington earlier this year accused Pyongyang of supplying Moscow with weapons for its war in Ukraine, photographs in state media showed Kim walking Moscow's Sergei Shoigu through a vast defence exhibition showcasing the North's nuclear missiles and what Seoul-based specialist site NK News said were new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Shoigu and a high-ranking Chinese delegation are in Pyongyang as Kim's first-known foreign guests since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the country marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, which ended open hostilities and is celebrated as Victory Day.

Kim and Shoigu visited the "Weapons and Equipment Exhibition 2023", the official Korean Central News Agency said, showing photos that featured North Korea's largest intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Hwasong-17, and the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM.

A rare ally of North Korea

Russia, a historic ally of North Korea, is one of a handful of nations with which Pyongyang maintains friendly relations.

Kim and Shoigu had earlier discussed "matters of mutual concern in the field of national defence and security and on the regional and international security environment", KCNA said.

The North Korean leader has been steadfast in his support for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, including, Washington says, supplying artillery shells -- a charge Pyongyang has denied.

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

A noteworthy visit

Shoigu's visit is noteworthy given that Russian defence ministers have not regularly visited Pyongyang since before the collapse of the USSR, analysts told AFP.

"Russia may need the potential of North Korean military industry in the realm of conventional weapons, while North Korea may be interested in missile technology transfers from Russia," Vladimir Tikhonov, professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo in Norway, told AFP.

Despite the high-profile coverage of Shoigu's visit, North Korea is likely to be "very careful" about providing Moscow with weapons for its war in Ukraine, Park Won-gon, professor at Ewha University in Seoul, South Korea, told AFP.

"If it is confirmed publicly, European countries would also turn adversarial," Park said, adding that North Korea would prefer not to face additional sanctions.

"So it will be careful, but it's possible that Russia will seek more help in secret."