NK News reported on Wednesday that a large delegation of officials from various Russian political parties, not just the ruling United Russia party, attended the 80th anniversary celebration of North Korea’s Workers’ Party.
According to NK News, which analyzed photos released by North Korean state media, the Russian delegation comprised 28 members, including Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and Chairman of United Russia. The group visited North Korea last week to mark the Workers’ Party’s anniversary.
NK News interpreted the presence of representatives from the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), and Just Russia for Truth, alongside United Russia, as a demonstration of cross-party support for North Korea-Russia relations.
The delegation also included high-ranking officials from the Ministries of Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Natural Resources, who have developed ties with North Korea in the context of the Ukraine conflict. Regional governors and cultural envoys who have facilitated bilateral cooperation were also part of the visiting group.
Key Russian officials who met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un included Sergei Chebotaryov, Secretary of the Security Council; Alexander Kozlov, Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology; Yunus-bek Yevkurov, Deputy Minister of Defense; Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Alexander Khinshtein, Acting Governor of the Kursk region; Oleg Kozhemyako, Governor of Primorsky Krai; and Vladimir Konstantinov, Chairman of the State Council of Crimea.
Artem Lukin, a professor at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, told NK News that North Korea and Russia are now official military and political allies, and the composition of the delegation symbolically emphasizes the close relationship between the two countries.
He added that currently, all official Russian parties are aligned on foreign policy, particularly in supporting the alliance with North Korea.
However, experts noted that the 80th anniversary celebration received minimal coverage in Russian media. They also pointed out that Medvedev’s protocol ranking placed him third, behind Li Qiang, Chinese Premier and Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
NK News suggested that the limited Russian media coverage might be due to Moscow’s desire to maintain cooperation with South Korea.