North Korean Government Delegation Visits Russia

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on January 15 that a North Korean government delegation led by Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui arrived in Moscow on an official visit to the Russian Federation.

South Korean people watch news of North Korea's IRBM launch at Seoul Station. Photo: Mainichi

Previously, Russia's TASS news agency also cited sources saying that Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui will visit Russia from January 15 to 17 at the invitation of his host counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

The news came shortly after KCNA announced that North Korea had successfully test-fired a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) as part of regular activities to develop powerful weapon systems.

According to KCNA, the missile carrying a hypersonic warhead was launched on the afternoon of January 14 to test the warhead's flight control and stability as well as the reliability of the missile's solid-fuel engine. The KCNA statement stated: "The test did not pose any impact on the safety of our neighboring countries and had nothing to do with the regional security situation."

Earlier, the South Korean military announced that it detected the launch from an area in or around Pyongyang at around 2:55 p.m. on January 14 (local time) and the missile flew about 1,000 kilometers before plunging into the sea. This is the first missile launch by North Korea since launching the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile on December 18, 2023.

The latest launch comes amid a series of artillery shellings from both North and South Korea as part of live-fire military exercises along the maritime border between the two Koreas.

KHANH HUNG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/phai-doan-chinh-phu-trieu-tien-tham-nga-post722836.html