North Korea Notably Welcomes 2 Outsiders

Russian and Chinese government delegations are arriving in North Korea, and the visits are noteworthy ones: They mark just the second known time since the start of the pandemic that foreign government officials have been invited in. That count is per South Korea's Unification Ministry, which says the only other such instance was the March visit of China's ambassador to Pyongyang. A Russian delegation led by Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu arrived in Pyongyang Tuesday evening, with Chinese envoys to show up Wednesday. They're key economic and political partners, and they're there for the 70th anniversary celebrations marking the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War.

The BBC notes that state media in recent weeks has shown images of unmasked North Koreans, and the AP reads into the arrival: "The visits suggest North Korea is further opening up after years of pandemic isolation and is eager to showcase its partnerships with authoritarian neighbors in the face of deepening nuclear tensions with Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo." The AP notes that the North continues to view the armistice as a win in the "Grand Fatherland Liberation War" and is expected to mark it with a massive military parade. Reuters cites analysts who expect the country's nuclear-tipped missiles will be on display; those weapons are banned by the UN Security Council, which counts Russia and China as permanent members. (More North Korea stories.)