SEOUL, July 25 (Reuters) - A Russian delegation led by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu will visit North Korea this week, state media agency KCNA reported on Tuesday, joining a Chinese group as the first such public visitors to the country since the start of the pandemic.
The delegations will visit to celebrate the 70th anniversary of "Victory Day" on Thursday in Pyongyang, KCNA reported, with Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li Hongzhong leading the group from his country.
North Korea closed its border in early 2020 to all trade and diplomatic exchanges, even with its main economic and political partners China and Russia.
China's exports to North Korea in June were eight times higher than a year before, when the secretive state was reporting tens of thousands of COVID-19 cases per day and had shut its border.
The United States, meanwhile, has accused North Korea of providing military aid to Russia for the war in Ukraine, a claim that both Pyongyang and Moscow deny.
Persons:
Sergei Shoigu, KCNA, Li Hongzhong, Hyunsu Yim, Ed Davies, Raju Gopalakrishnan
Organizations:
Russian, Defence, Chinese Communist Party, European, Thomson
Locations:
SEOUL, North Korea, Pyongyang, China, Russia, North Korea's, European Union, Beijing, United States, Ukraine, Moscow