Government: "If Kim Jong-un visits Russia, possibility of talks with Putin"

Ministry of National Defense Assesses Possibility of Kim Jong-un Visiting Russia
Ministry of Unification Expresses Concern Over Military Cooperation Talks Between North Korea and Russia

The government assessed that Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, may visit Russia to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In particular, it expressed strong concerns about the possibility of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

Jeon Ha-gyu, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a regular briefing held on the 11th at the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, "The Ministry of National Defense assesses that there is a possibility of Kim Jong-un visiting Russia," and "If he visits, it is assessed that arrangements are being made for a meeting with President Putin."

Chairman Kim Jong-un of North Korea and President Vladimir Putin of Russia [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, the New York Times (NYT) reported citing U.S. government officials that during the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) from the 10th to the 13th of this month, Chairman Kim Jong-un might hold a summit with President Putin in Vladivostok and discuss issues such as arms deals.

The government also reiterated its concerns about the possibility of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. Koo Byung-sam, spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, said, "The government is concerned about the recently raised possibility of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia," and emphasized, "We clearly state once again that cooperation between the two countries must not violate international norms or undermine peace on the Korean Peninsula."

As of the afternoon of the same day, no official announcement had been made by either North Korea or Russia, but Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported, citing a Primorsky Krai government official, that "Kim Jong-un is likely to depart (Pyongyang) by special train on the 11th." Additionally, Russian news agency Interfax cited a Kremlin announcement on the 11th (local time) that President Putin would visit the Far East region for two days starting that day to attend the Eastern Economic Forum, introducing the detailed visit schedule. However, a meeting with Chairman Kim Jong-un was not included in the official local schedule.

Meanwhile, it is quite rare for North Korea to announce its diplomatic activities in advance. In the case of the North Korea-Russia summit held in Vladivostok in April 2019, Russia disclosed the summit schedule six days before the meeting.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.