MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has felicitated the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with a commemorative World War II medal for his role in preserving the memory of Soviet soldiers killed in North Korea.
Russia’s Embassy in Pyongyang confirmed the development on Tuesday. The felicitation ceremony took place at the Mansudae Assembly Hall, where Kim reshuffled North Korea’s highest decision-making body last month.
It may be recalled that the North Korean leader made his first public appearance in three weeks Saturday following an absence that sparked intense speculation about his health and the future of his sanctioned regime.
Russian Ambassador handed the commemorative medal dubbed “75 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945” to North Korean Foreign Minister.
The Russian embassy also released a statement and published photographs of its Facebook page. However, there was no sighting of Kim Jong Un himself.
Kim was awarded “for his great personal contribution to the commemoration of the dead and buried Soviet citizens on the territory of the DPRK and showing concern about the safety of the Soviet soldiers’ graves and memorial sites,” it said
According to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency, at least 1,375 Soviet soldiers are buried in North Korea.
Kim visited Russia for the first time in April 2019, where he met with Putin to discuss his nuclear stalemate with the United States.
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