Putin gets lavish welcome in North Korea with cheering crowds, giant portraits
Russian President Vladimir Putin was welcomed in a lavish ceremony and cheering crowds in Pyongyang on Wednesday (June 19), as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed ‘full support’ for Russia’s war in Ukraine and pledged stronger strategic ties with Moscow, Reuters reports.
An honour guard including mounted soldiers, and a large crowd of civilians gathered at the Kim Il Sung square by the Taedong River running through the capital, footage from Russian media showed.
The scene included children holding balloons, and giant portraits of the two leaders with national flags adorning the square’s main building.
Kim and Putin then rode to the Kumsusan Palace for summit talks, Russian media said, with cheering crowds lining the streets as the motorcade carrying the two leaders passed.
Putin is on his first trip to the North Korean capital in 24 years, a visit likely to reshape decades of Russia-North Korea relations at a time when both countries face international isolation.
Some South Koreans expressed concern as Russian President Vladimir Putin was received in Pyongyang in a grand welcome ceremony on Wednesday (June 19).
One Seoul resident described the new Russian-North Korean friendship as “dangerous”, while another said Moscow’s military cooperation with Pyongyang could be a blow to Seoul.
Wednesday’s agenda in Pyongyang includes one-on-one discussions between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as well as a gala concert, state reception, honour guards, document signings and a statement to the media, Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov as saying.
