The North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, and other senior officials visited the Russian embassy yesterday to offer condolences over the death of Ambassador Alexander Matsigora, who served in the post for a long time, according to official media. This visit, reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as taking place the day before yesterday, highlights the depth of relations between North Korea and Russia since the latter's war against Ukraine. At the embassy, Kim said, "It is very sad and a great loss to lose the ambassador at a time when we are opening a historic new phase in the development of relations between the two countries," KCNA reported. Moscow announced last Monday the death of its ambassador Matsigora at the age of 70 during the weekend. Kim laid flowers at the embassy and observed a minute of silence in memory of Matsigora, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The agency also reported separately that other leaders, including prominent military official Pak Jong Chon, also visited the embassy. Matsigora had served as ambassador since 2014, after previously working as a counselor at the embassy and deputy head of the Asia department at Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During his tenure, relations between the two countries improved to a level not seen since the Soviet era. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang for the first time in more than two decades.
