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| ▲ This file photo, published by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 16, 2023, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) speaking with Russia's then Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu (front, R) during a visit to Vladivostok, Russia, the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) NK leader-Russia
(LEAD) Preparations under way for N. Korean leader Kim's visit to Russia this year: reports
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout; REWRITES photo caption)
SEOUL, March 27 (Yonhap) -- Preparations are under way for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia this year, Russian news reports said Thursday, citing Russia's deputy foreign minister.
Speaking to journalists in Moscow, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Russia is preparing for Kim's visit to the country, Russian news agencies TASS and Ria Novosti reported, though they did not specify the exact timing of the visit.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also planning to visit Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, to continue strategic dialogue with North Korea, according to the reports.
The news came amid growing speculation about Kim's potential visit to Russia on the occasion of Russia's 80th Victory Day anniversary on May 9, potentially as a reciprocation for Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea in June last year.
At that time, Putin invited Kim to Moscow for summit talks.
Earlier this month, Rudenko traveled to Pyongyang, where he met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong-gyu and discussed arranging "political contacts at the high and top levels," TASS previously reported.
Last week, Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu also traveled to Pyongyang and met with Kim, delivering a message from Putin.
North Korea and Russia have aligned closely since Kim and Putin signed a mutual defense treaty during the Russian president's visit to Pyongyang last year, elevating bilateral military cooperation and resulting in the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia.
If realized, Kim's visit to Russia this year would mark his third such trip following his visit to Russia's eastern border city of Vladivostok in 2019 and the Vostochny Cosmodrome space center in the Amur region in 2023.
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