The pair were saluted by a string of military guards atop snow-white horses before making their way past a group of adoring children clutching balloons and waving and smiling at the two great leaders. Other revellers were seen touting huge portraits of the Russian President standing beside the Russian flag – the colours of which adorned the facades of buildings around the square. The ceremony also gave Kim a chance to introduce Putin to a host of key figures in his Politburo, including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui; top aide and ruling party secretary Jo Yong Won; and his powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, who besides her role as chief ideologue has in recent months become a fiery-tongued resister to US oppression. After touring the square, Kim and Putin then travelled together to Pyongyang’s Kumsusan State Guest House, North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said, for their first talks together on North Korean soil.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 