Kim shows off new N Korean drones, ICBMs
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 on Thursday, state media reported. Photographs in the country’s 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, including NPC Standing Committee vice-chairman Li Hongzhong, are in Pyongyang as Kim's first-known foreign guests since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The visit comes 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 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. 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. (AFP)