The Defense Ministry in Seoul said there were indications that the private train of Kim Jong-un, 39, crossed the border on Tuesday morning (local time). Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Vladimir Putin (70) would meet with Kim in the Russian Far East. No telling yet where exactly. State news agency TASS quoted the spokesman as saying there would be meetings and personal discussions between the two delegations before the official dinner.
After days of speculation abroad, Moscow and Pyongyang on Monday confirmed Kim’s “official visit” to Russia. The US suspects it will be primarily about an arms deal between Russia and strictly isolated North Korea. Although there was no official information yet, there was speculation that the two could meet at an economic forum in Russia’s Far Eastern metropolis Vladivostok. The forum will continue till Wednesday.
North Korean state media reported Tuesday that Kim had boarded his train in Pyongyang on Sunday afternoon along with representatives of the ruling Workers’ Party, government and military. Photos show that he was accompanied by Foreign Minister Cho Sun-hui and others.
The US government has warned several times in recent months that Russia could purchase weapons systems from North Korea to continue its war against Ukraine. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan threatened that if North Korea provides weapons to Russia, it will have to pay the price in the international community.
Kim had visited Russia only once, on his last foreign trip four years ago. In April 2019, he visited Vladivostok with his armored train after nuclear disarmament talks with then US President Donald Trump failed. The talks with Putin at that time were about the North Korean nuclear program and strengthening economic cooperation. However, no concrete results emerged.
Vladivostok is located on the Pacific coast of Russia and is only 130 kilometers from the border with North Korea. It is approximately 6,500 kilometers from Moscow. During the Cold War, the Moscow government supported the Stalinist leadership in Pyongyang. However, relations cooled due to turmoil in Russia following the end of the Soviet Union in 1991. Today China is considered the country with the strongest influence on North Korea.
