On the eve of my state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, I would like to address the Korean and foreign audience of the
Rodong Sinmun newspaper to share my thoughts on the prospects for partnership between our states and on their role in the modern world.
The relations of friendship and neighbourliness between Russia and the DPRK, based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and trust, go back more than seven decades and are rich in glorious historical traditions. Our peoples cherish the memory of their difficult joint struggle against Japanese militarism and honour the heroes who fell in it. In August 1945, Soviet soldiers, fighting shoulder to shoulder with Korean patriots, defeated the Kwantung Army, liberated the Korean peninsula from colonisers, and opened the way for the Korean people to develop independently. As a symbol of combat brotherhood of the two nations, a monument was erected in 1946 on the Moranbong Hill in the centre of Pyongyang to commemorate the liberation of Korea by the Red Army.
The Soviet Union was the first among the world's states to recognise the young Democratic People's Republic of Korea and establish diplomatic relations with it. As early as on March 17, 1949, when the founder of the DPRK, Comrade Kim Il Sung, paid his first visit to Moscow, the USSR and the DPRK signed the Agreement on Economic and Cultural Cooperation, establishing a legal framework for further strengthening of their bilateral interaction. Our country helped the Korean friends to build their national economy, create a healthcare system, develop science and education, and train professional administrative and technical staff.
Comment: Kim Jung Un welcoming Putin to North Korea:
Putin's motorcade through Pyongyang:
Kim showing Putin his new (Russian-made) limo:
It's Putin's first visit to North Korea since 2000, the first year of his presidency:
Comment: Additional analysis on the audio from the videos. Somewhat in agreement with the above theory: