GOING BALLISTIC

Kim Jong Un Shows Russian Defense Minister His Banned Missiles

The North Korean dictator said the visit strengthened their “strategic and traditional” ties.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un treated Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to a defense exhibition showing off Pyongyang’s banned ballistic missiles, North Korean state media reported Thursday. Shoigu arrived in North Korea along with a Chinese delegation this week as the hermit kingdom celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, which is marked in the country with a “Victory Day.” The missiles were proscribed by U.N. Security Council resolutions adopted with support from both China and Russia. State media reported that Shoigu gave Kim a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin during the visit and Kim thanked Putin for permitting the trip, saying it had bolstered “strategic and traditional” relations between their countries.