North Korea rolled out the red carpet for the Russian defence minister, state media said Wednesday, with delegations from Moscow and Beijing set to attend Korean War anniversary events, the country’s first known foreign visitors since its pandemic border closure. Pyongyang on Thursday will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the July 27, 1953 Korean War armistice, which ended open hostilities and is marked as Victory Day in the North. The Russian national anthem blared throughout Pyongyang International Airport, which was “wrapped up in a warm welcome atmosphere” to greet Moscow’s Sergei Shoigu and his delegation Tuesday evening, the Korean Central News Agency said. “Flags of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation were fluttering at the flagstaffs and the guards of honor of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) lined up at the station before the terminal,” KCNA said.