Putin Caught Looking 'Bored' in North Korea Visit Videos

Videos of Russian President Vladimir Putin's first visit to North Korea in 24 years appear to show the leader looking disinterested at a special concert held in his honor in Pyongyang, social media users observed.

Putin and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong Un, attended the concert at the Pyongyang Sports Hall alongside delegations from Russia and North Korea.

"We welcome the President of the Russian Federation, Comrade Vladimir Putin!" read a banner in Korean and Russian that was stretched across the hall.

Pyongyang and Moscow have deepened their ties since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. The two leaders signed a new strategic partnership agreement on Wednesday that requires both nations to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event of war.

The national anthems of both countries were played, and musicians performed a medley of Russian songs, including "The Sacred War", "Where Does the Motherland Begin", "We Need One Victory" and "Katyusha", for Putin.

A clip of Putin at the event, which has been viewed more than 200,000 times, prompted social media users to suggest that he didn't enjoy the concert.

"Putin: 'How did I get myself into this?!'" one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, sharing a screen grab of the Russian leader.

"Putin looks bored," another X user wrote.

"The body language doesn't show excitement or happiness in either leader," one person noted.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's foreign ministry for comment by email.

Kim was cited by Russia's state-run news agency Tass on Wednesday as saying that his nation "expresses full support and solidarity to the Russian government, army and people in carrying out a special military operation in Ukraine to protect sovereignty, security interests, as well as territorial integrity."

Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday that Article 4 of the new agreement reached between Russia and North Korea during the visit requires either party to deploy "all means at its disposal without delay" to provide "military and other assistance" should one nation be attacked.

"The comprehensive partnership agreement signed today provides, among other things, for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the parties to this agreement," Putin was cited as saying by Tass.

Kim called the agreement the "strongest ever treaty" signed between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Putin invited Kim to visit the Russian capital in the future, according to Russian media outlets.

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