Senior N. Korean presence at PLA banquet marks thaw in China Ties
Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun hosted the event at the embassy on Tuesday to mark the 98th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, which falls on August 1, North Korean state media reported Wednesday.
"The banquet participants raised their glasses for … the militant friendship and unity between the armies of the DPRK and China, and for the continuous strengthening and development of the Chinese People's Liberation Army,' the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, reported.
DPRK is the abbreviation for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The celebration was notably attended by senior North Korean officials, including Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang-il, Deputy Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army Pak Yong-il, Deputy Director of the Party Central Committee Mun Song-hyok and Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho.
Pak Yong-il delivered a congratulatory speech at the reception, according to the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang.
'He stated that the Chinese and Korean militaries fought side by side in multiple wars to resist imperialist invaders, standing shoulder to shoulder in the same trench and creating a shining example of friendly unity,' Pak was quoted as saying in a Chinese-language statement provided by the Chinese embassy.
'The DPRK side is willing to work together with the Chinese side, in accordance with the noble will of the top leaders of the two parties and two countries, to jointly make efforts to provide solid support for the development of DPRK–China friendly relations and the socialist cause of both countries," Pak was quoted as saying in the statement.
North Korea has marked the PLA anniversary in various ways — though not consistently each year — such as publishing occasional editorials in the Rodong Sinmun or dispatching envoys to banquets hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang.
Although this year did not mark a quinquennial milestone such as the 90th or 95th anniversary, North Korea still dispatched senior officials to the PLA event. The move echoed the 2017 reception for the 90th anniversary, which was attended by then–Deputy Minister of the People's Armed Forces Kang Sun-nam.
Beijing and Pyongyang reconnect
Tuesday's event was one of the emerging signs of thawing ties between China and North Korea, following a period of strained relations that overlapped with North Korea's closer alignment with Russia.
North Korea on July 9 sent higher-ranking officials than in previous years to a banquet hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang, commemorating the 64th anniversary of the 1961 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the two countries.
While last year's event was attended by Kim Sung-chan, president of Kim Il Sung University and chair of the DPRK-China Friendship Parliamentary Group under the rubber-stamp Supreme People's Assembly, this year saw the presence of Kang Yun-sok, vice president of the SPA Presidium — a notable upgrade in diplomatic protocol.
The Rodong Sinmun published the article "DPRK-China Friendship and Cooperation Strengthening Along the Socialist Path," highlighting the enduring significance of the treaty on July 11, the day the treaty was forged.
The Rodong Sinmun has traditionally carried an article marking the anniversary of the 1961 pact. Speculation of strained ties arose when no such article appeared last year. However, this year, the coverage reappeared.
Although 2024 was designated as the "Year of DPRK-China Friendship" to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, no high-profile events took place that year.
Separately, North Korea's state-run tourism website DPRK Tourism posted a schedule of international train routes in mid-July. The list included round trips between Pyongyang and Beijing, Pyongyang and Dandong, and Pyongyang and Moscow.
All three routes had been suspended since February 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Service on the Moscow line resumed in mid-June this year, while the Beijing and Dandong routes to China remain inactive. If resumed, cross-border passenger rail service with China would return more than after five and a half years.
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