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A Chinese delegation led by the Deputy Prime Minister will visit North Korea. Photo/Illustration
SEOUL – A Communist Party and Chinese government delegation led by Vice Premier Liu Guozhong will visit North Korea to take part in the country’s founding day celebrations this weekend. That’s the report from North Korean state media, KCNA, on Thursday (7/9/2023).
“The visit was carried out at the invitation of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and the North Korean government,” the report said as quoted by Channel News Asia.
The WPK is led by Kim Jong-un, whose family has controlled the country since its founding in 1948.
North Korea celebrates its founding day on September 9, known as Republic Founding Day, and this year will mark the 75th anniversary since the peninsula was liberated from Japanese occupation.
This is not the first time a Chinese delegation has visited North Korea.
In July, a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong visited Pyongyang and attended a military parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War – the first visit by a Chinese delegation since the pandemic.
During the parade, Li and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was also visiting the country, were seen on North Korean state media shoulder-to-shoulder with Kim as they watched North Korea’s nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles, which are banned by the UN Security Council.
United States (US) officials say Kim Jong-un will soon visit Russia, his first overseas trip since the COVID-19 pandemic ended, to discuss a possible arms deal with President Vladimir Putin.
Last month North Korea began allowing its citizens to return to the country for the first time since 2020, when the country closed its borders during the pandemic.
The New York Times, citing unnamed officials, said the visit could take place as early as next week. Russia said it had no comment on the report, and North Korean state media has not mentioned any visit to Russia.
(ian)
