South Korean Defence MinistryĮarlier Monday, US Navy attack submarine USS Annapolis made a port call at Jeju Naval Base on the island off South Korea’s southern coast, according to South Korean Navy spokesperson Jang Do-young. The US Navy attack submarine USS Annapolis makes a port call at Jeju, South Korea, Naval Base on July 24, 2023. local time, flying for about five minutes or 400 kilometers (248 miles) before falling into the water, according to the JCS. The missiles were launched around 11:55 p.m. North Korea continued its torrid pace of missile testing late Monday, when it fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) from the Pyongyang area into the waters off the east coast of the peninsula, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). Pyongyang has frequently tested missiles banned under United Nations Security Council resolutions, and on several occasions the US and South Korea have deployed military assets like nuclear-capable submarines and bombers. The Chinese visit, and the ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the 1953 armistice that ended fighting on the Korean Peninsula, comes amid simmering tensions between North Korea and South Korea and its US ally. US nuclear powered attack submarine Annapolis has made a port call at Jeju Naval base on July 24, 2023, according to South Korean Navyís spokesperson Jang Do-young. The Soviet Union also supported North Korea during the war and over the decades Moscow has been a staunch ally for North Korea, especially as the two share a joint animosity towards the West.īut Easley noted that South Korea is garnering a much larger show of international support for its armistice anniversary commemorations, with representatives from 22 countries expected to attend. More than 180,000 Chinese troops died in the Korean War, or what Beijing calls the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. In the fall of 1950, China sent a quarter million troops into the Korean Peninsula, supporting its North Korean ally and pushing back the combined forces of South Korea, the United States and other countries under the United Nations Command. North Korean state newspaper KCNA also reported the upcoming “celebratory visit” for the anniversary on July 27, which North Korea calls “Victory Day.”īoth Russia and China are Pyongyang’s longtime allies. “This visit will help strengthen Russian-North Korean military ties and will be an important stage in the development of cooperation between the two countries,” the Defense Ministry said. “The visit will be significant for what it says about Beijing’s support of North Korea as well as Pyongyang’s willingness to relax pandemic-era border restrictions,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.Ī Russian delegation led by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will also visit North Korea from July 25-27 for the 70th anniversary, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Li will attend ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War and his visit comes after an invitation from North Korea, the statement said. The visit is believed to be the highest-level delegation from China since the coronavirus pandemic. North Korea sealed its borders during the coronavirus pandemic, deepening the isolation of a country that is already one of the most cut off places in the world – now its closest allies are set to visit for a moment of historic import.Ĭhinese Communist Party official Li Hongzhong, who is part of the party’s central policymaking committee and holds a leadership position in the top body of its rubber stamp Parliament, will lead a delegation to Pyongyang this week, according to a statement from Hu Zhaoming, spokesperson of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee.
China and Russia are both sending high level delegations to North Korea this week in a rare flurry of diplomatic activity for the secluded nation as it prepares to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.
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