Sergei Lavrov and other prominent figures were expelled from the hall. Behind the scenes of the talks in North Korea

A North Korean official forced Russian ministers accompanying President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Pyongyang on Wednesday to leave the negotiating room. They made the mistake of entering the hall in front of Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The incident occurred during a live broadcast of Putin’s visit by North Korean state media.

A North Korean official expels Russian ministers from the room

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was the first to enter the room, sat at the negotiating table and complained that he had gotten dirty with something. Then Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Saveliev sat next to him. After a while, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko and Roscosmos President Yuri Borisov also entered the room.

A North Korean official can be heard saying “stop” off-screen. The representative of the Russian delegation asks: Why did we come? The North Korean official answers in Russian: “We have the protocol.” “We should have been warned immediately,” says the Russian representative.

The transmission suddenly cut off. When it reopened, it showed an empty conference room where Putin and Kim would later hold bilateral negotiations. Following these talks, Russia and North Korea signed a strategic treaty – including a mutual defense clause – which Putin described as a “breakthrough.”