00:00 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has met with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in
00:08 his first known meeting with a foreign dignitary since the COVID-19 pandemic.
00:13 North Korean state media reported that Kim and Shoigu discussed the matters of mutual
00:19 concern related to defence and regional security.
00:22 Reports further said that they viewed an exhibition of weapons, including ballistic missiles.
00:27 The official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, said that the meeting between the two
00:33 men was an important occasion in further developing the strategic and traditional DPRK-Russia
00:39 relations as required by the new century.
00:42 DPRK is an abbreviation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
00:47 Reports said that Kim Jong-un led Shoigu on a tour of a display of new weapons and military
00:52 equipment.
00:53 The pictures of the exhibition showed banned ballistic missiles, multi-axle transporter
00:58 launchers and what appeared to be a new drone.
01:01 The KCNA said that Shoigu also gave Kim Jong-un a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
01:08 Reports said that Kim thanked Putin for sending a delegation led by Shoigu, who also held
01:12 talks with North Korean Defence Minister Kang Sun-nam.
01:15 Shoigu's trip to Pyongyang is the first known visit by a foreign dignitary in three years.
01:21 It comes as North Korea is marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended hostilities
01:27 in the 1950-53 Korean War.
01:30 A Chinese delegation, including Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzong, also visited
01:36 Pyongyang for the celebrations.
01:39 North Korean authorities are expected to hold a large military parade in the capital on
01:43 Thursday to mark the date of the end of the conflict, which saw China and the Soviet Union
01:48 support the North against the United States-backed South Korea.
01:52 Kim Jong-un is the third generation of his family to rule the secretive North.
01:57 In the past, he has used such events to display his regime's latest weaponry, including nuclear-capable
02:02 missiles.
02:03 Russia and China are among a handful of countries that maintain friendly relations with North
02:09 Korea.
02:15 (upbeat music)
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