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yesterday

Kim Jong-un Meets Russian Culture Minister, Signs New Cultural Pact in Pyongyang

The visit underscores how Pyongyang is blending military support and cultural diplomacy to cement its strategic alliance with Moscow.

Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova (2nd row 2-L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (2nd row C) attend a performance in Pyongyang on Sunday. Lyubimova is visiting on the first anniversary of the signing of a North Korea-Russia comprehensive partnership treaty, state-run media reported Monday. Photo by KCNA/EPA-EFE
Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova attends a ceremony of awarding India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia July 9, 2024. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo
Russia's Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova (L) arrives in Pyongyang on June 28, 2025, in this photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
This photo, published by the Korean Central News Agency on June 30, 2025, shows an art performance staged in Pyongyang on June 29, 2025. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

Overview

  • Kim Jong-un met Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova at the Party Central Committee on Sunday to commemorate the first anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership treaty.
  • The two leaders signed a bilateral cultural cooperation agreement for 2025–27 to expand arts exchanges and foster mutual understanding between their publics.
  • Performers from the Pyatnitsky Choir and Gzhel Moscow National Academic Theatre of Dance staged shows against a backdrop of images depicting North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
  • Kim’s daughter Ju-ae appeared beside him during the joint concert, highlighting the regime’s focus on dynastic continuity and popular endorsement of the Moscow alliance.
  • The ceremony reflects a coordinated strategy that pairs North Korea’s troop deployments and munitions support with high-profile cultural events under the 2024 mutual defense pact.