On Thursday, Chinese and Russian officials stood side to shoulder with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a military parade in Pyongyang, reviewing his newest nuclear-capable missiles and attack drones.
The parade honored the 70th anniversary of the conclusion of the Korean War, known in North Korea as "Victory Day."
The visit by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was the first by Moscow's senior defense official since the Soviet Union's disintegration in 1991. The delegation from China was the first since the COVID-19 epidemic.
Their presence at events with the North's nuclear-capable missiles, which are prohibited by the United Nations. In contrast to previous years, when Beijing and Moscow attempted to distance themselves from their neighbor's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development, the Security Council with Chinese and Russian support.
Photographs and film published by North Korean official media showed Mr. Kim, Mr. Shoigu, and Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong talking, laughing, and saluting while North Korean troops marched, and armaments rolled by.
According to the KCNA state news agency, the parade included North Korea's newest Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles. They are thought to be capable of striking anyplace in the United States.
According to KCNA, the ceremony reportedly included a flyover by new attack and espionage drones.
Mr. Kim hosted a reception and lunch with Mr. Shoigu, pledging his support for Russia's people and military. According to KCNA, Mr. Shoigu complimented North Korea's military as the strongest in the world, and the two discussed strategic security and defense cooperation.
Mr. Shoigu delivered a congratulatory greeting from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who praised North Korea for its assistance during its "special military operation" in Ukraine, according to media reports.
Mr. Kim hosted a reception for Chinese officials led by Mr. Li on Friday and promised to take bilateral ties to a "new high," according to KCNA.
The US has accused North Korea of supplying Russia with weaponry for its intervention in Ukraine. On Thursday, State Department deputy spokeswoman Vedant Patel stated that the US was "extremely concerned" about their ties.
North Korea and Russia have both denied making any military deals.
In recent years, Russia and China have rejected US-led efforts to put more restrictions on North Korea over its development of ballistic missiles, blaming US maneuvers in the region for escalating tensions.
On Saturday, the United States and South Korean navy conducted a combined anti-submarine exercise in waters off South Korea's southern island of Jeju, the latest in a series of military maneuvers conducted by the allies in response to what they describe North Korean provocations.
The drill, which involved the USS Annapolis, a nuclear-powered submarine that had arrived in South Korea this week, was undertaken to better confront North Korea's growing missile threats, according to the South Korean navy.
According to Ankit Panda of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in the United States, the new surveillance drones might be used to examine targets, assess damage, and overall improve situational awareness.
Five North Korean drones infiltrated into South Korea in December, prompting fighter aircraft and helicopters to scramble in reaction. It beefed up anti-drone protections at important locations, including the White House.
Because of their susceptibility to anti-aircraft defenses, the attack drones would have limited value in a Korean Peninsula conflict, but "North Korea may seek to offer these drones to external customers," Mr. Panda added.
According to state media, the drones were among the armaments on display at an arms exhibition that Mr. Kim and Mr. Shoigu attended earlier.
In an address during the parade, North Korean Defense Minister General Kang Sun Nam accused the US and its allies of inflaming tensions in the area.
North Korea has been placed under U.N. sanctions. Since 2006, it has faced sanctions over its missile and nuclear programs. It is not permitted to develop ballistic missiles.
In recent years, Russia and China have rejected US-led efforts to put further sanctions on North Korea for its development of ballistic missiles, claiming that existing restrictions should be relaxed for humanitarian reasons and to urge it to engage.
The appearance of Chinese and Russian missiles at events casts doubts on their commitment to impose sanctions, according to Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
“It doesn’t help when two permanent members of the U.N. Security Council openly support a North Korean regime that violates human rights and flouts resolutions banning its nuclear and missile development,” Mr. Easley said.
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, “All members of Security Council and, frankly, all member states of the U.N., share the same responsibility to uphold Security Council resolutions.”
South Korea and the US have undertaken a number of military exercises in response to what they describe North Korean provocations, the most recent being a five-day exercise using modern fighter planes, including the F-35A stealth aircraft, according to South Korea.
