Sep 13 – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un landed in Russia on Tuesday for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, amid mounting fears over a possible arms agreement between Pyongyang and Moscow, according to a South Korean Defence Ministry official.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) stated early Tuesday that Kim left Pyongyang for Russia aboard his bulletproof train on Sunday afternoon, accompanied by top leaders from the regime’s ruling party and armed services.
The KCNA reported that Kim “left here by train on Sunday afternoon to visit the Russian Federation,” but did not specify if the train crossed the border.
Hours after the KCNA story, Jeon Ha-kyou, a spokesperson for the South Korean Defence Ministry, stated that Kim’s train had crossed into Russia early Tuesday, adding that Seoul was keeping a careful eye on any potential arms trade discussions between the two countries.
“Considering that a large number of military personnel is accompanying him, (we) are closely monitoring whether negotiations over arms trade between North Korea and Russia, and technology transfers will take place,” Jeon told reporters.
According to the Russian media site “Vesti Primorye,” Kim’s train arrived at the border city of Khasan on Tuesday and is now on its way to the Far Eastern city of Ussuriysk, citing a railway source.
According to Russian media, the train went past Khasan station early Tuesday and is now in the Primorsky Krai region.
Kim was accompanied by Pyongyang’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, as well as top military officers Ri Pyong-chol and Pak Jong-chon, according to photos issued by the North’s state media.
It is yet uncertain when and where Kim and Putin will meet, and the North Korean leader’s whereabouts are also unknown.
Negotiations between North Korean and Russian teams are scheduled during Kim’s visit, with discussions about the prospect of a one-on-one meeting between the leaders, according to the Kremlin.
Kim’s travel to Russia would be his first in more than four years, and his first abroad since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.
Pyongyang has recently sought to strengthen military ties with Moscow in response to rising security cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that Kim planned to travel to Vladivostok, potentially by armoured train, this month for talks with Putin about the possibilities of supplying Russia with ammunition and weaponry for its conflict in Ukraine, as well as other military cooperation.
As both North Korea and Russia announced Kim’s travel to Russia, the US urged Pyongyang not to furnish Russia with any weapons.
The White House National Security Council’s Adrienne Watson stressed that North Korea and Russia will most likely continue to discuss a potential arms deal during the Kim-Putin meeting.
“As we have warned publicly, arms discussions between Russia and the DPRK are expected to continue during Kim Jong-un’s trip to Russia,” Watson told Yonhap News Agency when asked to comment on Kim’s visit to Russia.
“We urge the DPRK to abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia,” she added.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK, is North Korea’s official name.