North Korea has included Russian in the description of its new postal stamps set to be issued in the new year, the website of its stamp agency showed Friday, reflecting the country’s growing alignment with Russia.
A stamp release notice uploaded on the Korea Stamp Corp.’s website included images and descriptions of four postal stamps scheduled for issuance on Jan. 20 in four languages — Korean, English, Chinese and Russian — along with an order form.
It is believed to be the first time that North Korea’s stamp release notice has included Russian. The Russian language was not even included in the notice for the North’s stamp issuance celebrating the special year of friendship between Pyongyang and Moscow in 2015.
The new development is widely seen as reflecting accelerating cooperation between the two countries following their leaders’ signing of a mutual defense treaty in June.
Since forging the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty, the North has deployed thousands of troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine and has strengthened cooperation in military, economic and other fronts.
In addition, stamp albums, published by North Korea last month on the themes of the country’s friendship with China and Russia, were assigned with the code “Ba79” for the Russian version and “Ba80” for the Chinese version, placing the Russian album ahead of the Chinese one.
The phenomenon has sparked speculation that North Korea may now prioritize its relationship with Russia over its ties with China, the North’s traditional ally and main economic benefactor.
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