Kim Jong-un and Putin Meet at Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome... Summit Soon (Update)

Meeting at 1:10 PM... Kim Jong-un Expresses Thanks for Invitation
Expected Discussions on Space and Military Technology Cooperation and More

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on the 13th at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast, Russia. The two are expected to soon enter into a summit meeting.

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands before their meeting on the 13th (local time) at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region of Russia's Far East. The two met face-to-face for the first time in 4 years and 5 months since their meeting in April 2019.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

TASS reported that around 1:10 PM that day, Kim Jong-un and President Putin met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. Kim Jong-un arrived at the spaceport around 1 PM, while President Putin, after attending the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) held in Vladivostok, moved to the spaceport and arrived at 12:30 PM.

The two exchanged brief conversations, and TASS reported that Kim Jong-un expressed gratitude to President Putin for the invitation. It added, "Following this, President Putin and Kim Jong-un will hold a summit meeting," and "a rich exchange of opinions on bilateral cooperation issues as well as regional and international matters is expected."

The Vostochny Cosmodrome, where the summit is held, is a scientific complex that concentrates advanced technologies for rockets and satellites. Since North Korea has already failed twice in launching reconnaissance satellites, it is seen as symbolically significant in the context of North Korea seeking to obtain advanced technologies such as satellites from Russia.

NHK, citing Russian diplomatic sources, predicted, "President Putin is expected to agree on expanding military-technical cooperation with Kim Jong-un at the summit," and "it is anticipated that the North Korean side will request military technology support necessary for possessing nuclear submarines and military reconnaissance satellites."

After the meeting, Kim Jong-un is also reported to visit the Sukhoi fighter jet production plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, an industrial city in Khabarovsk Krai.

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