Russia's FM leaves North Korea after 3-day visit

Seoul, July 14 (IANS) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has left North Korea after wrapping up his three-day visit to the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, the North's state media reported on Monday.

Lavrov departed the country via Wonsan Kalma Airport on Sunday after being seen off by North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Russia's top envoy in Pyongyang, reports Yonhap, quoting the Korean Central News Agency.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met Lavrov on his yacht in Wonsan on Saturday. During the talks, Kim reaffirmed his "unconditional" support for Russia's war against Ukraine.

Lavrov also held the second round of strategic dialogue with his North Korean counterpart on Saturday. They vowed efforts to advance the bilateral relations between the two nations into long-term strategic ties by faithfully implementing a mutual defence treaty.

Experts said North Korea appears to have invited Lavrov to Wonsan in an effort to promote a newly opened tourist zone and attract Russian tourists.

After visiting the North, Lavrov flew to China to attend a foreign ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states, according to Russian media reports.

Additionally, North Korea has continued to provide Russia with artillery shells to support its war against Ukraine, which amounts to more than 12 million rounds of 152 mm shells.

According to South Korea's Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), North Korea is believed to have provided around 28.000 containers containing weapons and artillery shells to date.

"If calculated with 152 mm single shells, the number of supplied shells are presumed to have reached more than 12 million," the DIA under the defence ministry said.

Since October last year, North Korea has provided conventional weapons and around 13,000 troops to Russia to support Moscow's war efforts.

North Korea is likely to send additional troops to Russia in July or August, Seoul's spy agency said in late June. Russia's media reported that the North will send 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to Kursk to support reconstruction efforts.

--IANS

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