North Korea’s Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin where they are expected to offer each other increased support in their escalating standoffs with the West.
North Korea Russia In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, front right, and Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov, front left, walk to a station building at Khasan station, Russia Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
North Korea Russia Municipal workers construct a temporary wooden platform at the railway station for the arrival of the special train carrying North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, about 6200 kilometers (3,900 miles) east of Moscow, in the Russian Far Eastern Amur region, on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. North Korea's Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (AP Photo)
AP Photo
North Korea Russia This Tuesday. Sept. 12, 2023, photo provided by the North Korean government shows that North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, center, is greeted by Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov, right, after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
North Korea Russia This Tuesday. Sept. 12, 2023, photo provided by the North Korean government shows that North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, right, is greeted by Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov, left, after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
North Korea Russia This Tuesday. Sept. 12, 2023, photo provided by the North Korean government shows that North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, center, attends a welcome ceremony after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. At left is Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology, Alexander Kozlov. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
North Korea Russia This Tuesday. Sept. 12, 2023, photo provided by the North Korean government shows that North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, left, is greeted by Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov, sits right, after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
North Korea Russia This Tuesday. Sept. 12, 2023, photo provided by the North Korean government shows that North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, attends a welcome ceremony after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
North Korea Russia In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, center right, shakes hands with Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai, at Khasan station, Russia Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
North Korea Russia In this photo taken and provided by the Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, center, attends a welcome ceremony at his train after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 kilometers (79 miles) south of Vladivostok, Russia, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Kim rolled into Russia on the armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration via AP)
Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration via AP
North Korea Russia In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, foreground right, meets with Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov, foreground left, at Khasan station, Russia Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
North Korea Russia In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, center left, meets with Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov, center right, inside a station building at Khasan station, Russia Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
North Korea Russia Municipal workers construct a temporary wooden platform at the railway station for the arrival of the special train carrying North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, about 6200 kilometers (3,900 miles) east of Moscow, in the Russian Far Eastern Amur region, on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. North Korea's Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (AP Photo)
AP Photo
North Korea Russia In this photo taken and provided by the Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, center, steps down from his train after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 kilometers (79 miles) south of Vladivostok, Russia, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Kim rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration via AP)
Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration via AP
North Korea Russia In this photo taken and provided by the Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, foreground, steps down from his train after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 kilometers (79 miles) south of Vladivostok, Russia, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Kim rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration via AP)
Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration via AP
North Korea Russia In this photo taken and provided by the Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, center, walks along his train to attend a welcome ceremony after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 kilometers (79 miles) south of Vladivostok, Russia, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Kim rolled into Russia on the armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration via AP)
Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration via AP
North Korea Russia In this photo taken and released by Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, center, and Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov, left, attend a welcome ceremony at his train after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok, Russia, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. North Korea's Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration via AP)
Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration via AP
North Korea Russia In this photo taken and released by Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, left, speaks to Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov as he attends a welcome ceremony at his train after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok, Russia, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. North Korea's Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration via AP)
Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration via AP
North Korea Russia In this photo taken and released by Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, center left, speaks to Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov, center right, during a welcome ceremony at his train after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok, Russia, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. North Korea's Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration via AP)
Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration via AP
North Korea Russia In this photo taken and provided by the Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, left of table, is greeted by Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov, seated at right of table, after Kim crossed the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 kilometers (79 miles) south of Vladivostok, Russia, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Kim rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration via AP)
Press Office of the Primorsky Krai Region Administration via AP
North Korea Russia In this photo taken and released by Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, left, speaks to Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov, not pictured, after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok, Russia, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. North Korea's Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration via AP)
Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration via AP
North Korea Russia In this photo taken and released by Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, center, steps down from his train after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok, Russia, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. North Korea's Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration via AP)
Press Office of the Primorsky Krai region administration via AP
APTOPIX North Korea Russia In this photo taken from video released by governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, foreground, steps down from his train after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. North Korea's Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel VIA AP)
North Korea Russia A TV screen shows an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's departure from Pyongyang, North Korea for Russia, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Kim has departed for Russia, where he is expected to hold a rare meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
North Korea Russia A TV screen shows an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's departure from Pyongyang, North Korea for Russia, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Kim has departed for Russia, where he is expected to hold a rare meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
North Korea Russia A TV screen shows a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Kim has departed for Russia, where he is expected to hold a rare meeting with Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
North Korea Russia In this photo taken from video released by telegram channel @primamedia on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, a green train with yellow trimmings, resembling one used by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on his previous travels, is seen steaming near Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok, Russia Far East. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia ahead of an expected meeting with President Vladimir Putin. A Kremlin official was quoted in Russian media as saying a meeting would take place after a forum Putin is attending that concludes Wednesday. The watermark on image is as provided by the source. (telegram channel @primamedia via AP)
telegram channel @primamedia via AP
North Korea Russia A TV screen shows an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's departure from Pyongyang, North Korea for Russia, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Kim has departed for Russia, where he is expected to hold a rare meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
North Korea Russia A TV screen shows a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Kim has departed for Russia, where he is expected to hold a rare meeting with Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
South Korea North Korea Russia A visitor takes a photo in front of destination signs including North Korea's capital Pyongyang and Russia's city Vladivostok at the Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday for an expected meeting with President Vladimir Putin that has sparked concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow's war in Ukraine, joined by top military officials in charge of nuclear-capable weapons and munitions factories. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
AP Photo/Lee Jin-man
South Korea North Korea Russia Destination signs including North Korea's capital Pyongyang and Russia's city Vladivostok are seen at the Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday for an expected meeting with President Vladimir Putin that has sparked concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow's war in Ukraine, joined by top military officials in charge of nuclear-capable weapons and munitions factories. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
AP Photo/Lee Jin-man
North Korea Russia A man on a boat with the Chinese flag fishes along the Tumen River along the North Korean border with Russia and China seen from China's Yiyanwang Three Kingdoms viewing platform in Fangchuan in northeastern China's Jilin province on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. After decades of complicated, hot-and-cold relations, Russia and North Korea have drawn closer since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The bond has been driven by Russian President Vladimir Putin's need for war supplies and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's efforts to boost his partnerships with traditional allies Moscow and Beijing as he tries to break out of diplomatic isolation. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
North Korea Russia A view of the main train station in Vladivostok, Russia, early Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is heading for Russia for a presumed meeting with President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Putin and Kim will lead their delegations in talks and could also meet "one-on-one if necessary." He added that Putin will host an official dinner for Kim. (AP Photo)
AP Photo
North Korea Russia In this photo taken from video released by governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, foreground, steps down from his train after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. North Korea's Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel via AP)
North Korea Russia In this photo taken from video released by the governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, the train with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un arrives after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train Tuesday to see President Vladimir Putin, a rare meeting between isolated leaders driven together by their need for support in escalating standoffs with the West. (Governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel via AP)
North Korea Russia In this photo taken from video released by governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, center, attends a welcome ceremony after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train Tuesday to see President Vladimir Putin, a rare meeting between isolated leaders driven together by their need for support in escalating standoffs with the West. (Governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel via AP)
North Korea Russia In this photo taken from video released by governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, center right, attends a welcome ceremony after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train Tuesday to see President Vladimir Putin, a rare meeting between isolated leaders driven together by their need for support in escalating standoffs with the West. (Governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel via AP)
North Korea Russia In this photo taken from video released by governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, second left, walks to visit the house of Russian-Korean friendship after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. North Korea's Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel via AP)
North Korea Russia In this photo taken from video released by governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, left, gestures as he speaks to Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov, right, after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. North Korea's Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel via AP)
North Korea Russia In this photo taken from video released by governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, left, speaks to Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. North Korea's Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. Governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako sits on the right. (Governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel via AP)
North Korea Russia In this photo taken from video released by governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, right, steps down from his train after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. North Korea's Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train to see President Vladimir Putin. (Governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel via AP)
North Korea Russia In this photo taken from video released by governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, bottom center, steps down from his train after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un rolled into Russia on an armored train Tuesday to see President Vladimir Putin, a rare meeting between isolated leaders driven together by their need for support in escalating standoffs with the West. (Governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako telegram channel via AP)
Kim is expected to seek economic aid and military technology for his impoverished country, and, in a twist, appears to have something Putin desperately needs: munitions for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
It’s a chance for the North Korean leader to get around crippling U.N. sanctions and years of diplomatic isolation. For Putin, it’s an opportunity to refill ammunition stores that the war has drained.
Any arms deal with North Korea would violate the sanctions, which Russia supported in the past.
Kim’s personal train stopped in Khasan, a station on the Russia-North Korea border, early Tuesday where it was met by a military honor guard and a brass band. He was met on a red carpet by regional Gov. Oleg Kozhemyako and Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov, according to North Korean state media and video posted on social media.
Kim said his decision to visit Russia four years after his previous visit — his first foreign trip since the COVID-19 pandemic — showed how Pyongyang is “prioritizing the strategic importance” of its relations with Moscow, North Korea’s official news agency said Wednesday.
The Korean Central News Agency said Kim then left for his destination, but it didn’t specify where.
Many had assumed he and Putin would meet in Vladivostok, a Russian city close to the border where the two leaders had their last meeting in 2019, and which Putin is visiting this week for an economic forum.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed only that Kim has entered Russia, and state news agency RIA-Novosti later reported his train had headed north after crossing the Razdolnaya River, taking it away from Vladivostok. The South Korean news agency Yonhap later published a photo it said showed the train in Ussuriysk, a city about 60 kilometers (about 40 miles) north of Vladivostok that has a sizable ethnic Korean population.
Some Russian news media speculate he is headed for the Vostochny spaceport, which Putin is to visit soon. At the forum, Putin declined to say what he intended to do there. The launch facility is about 900 kilometers (550 miles) northwest of Ussuriysk, but the route there is circuitous and it is unclear how long Kim’s slow-moving train would take to reach it. Workers on Wednesday were seen constructing a temporary wooden platform at a railway station in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, another city in the Russian Far East, for the arrival of Kim’s train. Citing unidentified Russian officials, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported that Kim was expected to visit a plant in that city that produces Sukhoi fighter jets after his meeting with Putin. Peskov said Putin and Kim will meet after the Vladivostok forum, and that the meeting would include a lunch in Kim’s honor.
Kim left Pyongyang on his train Sunday, accompanied by members of the ruling party, government and military, KCNA said.
Officials identified in North Korean state media photos could hint at what Kim might seek from Putin and what he would be willing to give.
Kim is accompanied by Jo Chun Ryong, a ruling party official in charge of munitions policies who joined him on recent tours of factories producing artillery shells and missiles, according to South Korea’s Unification Ministry. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will be part of the Russian delegation, Peskov said.
Kim’s delegation also includes Foreign Minister Choe Sun Hui and his top military officials, including Korean People’s Army Marshals Ri Pyong Chol and Pak Jong Chon and Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam.
North Korea may have tens of millions of aging artillery shells and rockets based on Soviet designs that could give a huge boost to the Russian army in Ukraine, analysts say.
Also identified in photos were Pak Thae Song, chairman of North Korea’s space science and technology committee, and navy Adm. Kim Myong Sik, who are linked with North Korean efforts to acquire spy satellites and nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarines. Experts say North Korea would struggle to acquire such capabilities without external help, although it’s not clear if Russia would share such sensitive technology.
Kim Jong Un may also seek badly needed energy and food supplies, analysts say. Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said Russia may discuss humanitarian aid with the North Korean delegation, according to Russian news agencies.
Data from FlightRadar24.com , which tracks flights worldwide, showed an Air Koryo An-148 took off from Pyongyang on Tuesday and flew to Vladivostok. North Korea’s national airline has only just resumed flying internationally after being grounded during the COVID-19 pandemic. There had been speculation that North Korea could use a plane to fly in support staff.
Kim is making his first foreign trip since the pandemic, during which North Korea imposed tight border controls for more than three years. After decades of hot-and-cold relations , Russia and North Korea have drawn closer since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Lim Soo-suk, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said Seoul was maintaining communication with Moscow while closely monitoring Kim’s visit.
“No U.N. member state should violate Security Council sanctions against North Korea by engaging in an illegal trade of arms, and must certainly not engage in military cooperation with North Korea that undermines the peace and stability of the international community,” Lim said at a briefing.
U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood said Tuesday that Moscow’s potential deals with North Korea could include “the provision of raw materials that would assist Russia’s defense industrial base.” Wood’s comments came during a U.N. Security Council meeting called by Russia to protest Western weapons supplies to Ukraine.
According to U.S. officials, Putin could focus on securing more supplies of North Korean artillery and other ammunition to refill arsenals as Moscow seeks to show it can grind out a war of attrition. That could potentially put more pressure on the U.S. and its partners to pursue negotiations as concerns over a protracted conflict grow despite their huge shipments of advanced weaponry to Ukraine in the past 18 months.
The United States has accused North Korea of providing Russia with arms, including selling artillery shells to the Russian mercenary group Wagner. Both Russian and North Korean officials denied such claims.
Speculation about their military cooperation grew after Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, visited North Korea in July. Kim subsequently toured his weapons factories, which experts said had the dual goal of encouraging the modernization of North Korean weaponry and examining artillery and other supplies that could be exported to Russia.
___
Associated Press journalists Jim Heintz in Tallinn, Estonia; Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee in Washington; Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Dake Kang and Ng Han Guan in Fangchuan, China; Haruka Nuga and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo; and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.
___
Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright
© 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.