RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un held a rare meeting in Russia— on the same day, Pyongyang reportedly fired unidentified ballistic missiles toward the East Sea.
Putin and Kim held a rare meeting in Russia as South Korea’s joint chief of staff and Japan confirmed that North Korea fired unidentified ballistic missiles toward the East Sea– or the Sea of Japan.
The two leaders met each other and pledged his country, North Korea’s support for Russia in its standoff with the United States and its allies.
Kim also made a rare visit to meet Putin at the space facility in the Far Eastern Amur Region of Russia.
“Russia has risen for a sacred fight to protect its national sovereignty and safety against hegemonic forces. We will always stand together [with Russia] against imperialism,” according to Kim Jong-Un, Leader of North Korea.
His host, meanwhile, noted that Vostochny Cosmodrome was an unusual venue for their rare meeting.
Putin said Russia is proud of the development of its space industry and hoped that Kim and his colleagues are interested in their new facility.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later told journalists that negotiations between the Russian and North Korean delegations followed the remarks by Putin and Kim and lasted approximately an hour. The two leaders then had a one-to-one meeting.
The United States had already warned KIM ahead of his state visit not to sell weapons to Russia.
Meanwhile, neither Russia nor North Korea has expressed any intention of engaging in such an arrangement.
To recall, KIM arrived at the Primorsky Krai of Russia on Tuesday morning, reportedly using an armored train that has carried the Kim family for decades.
Kim arrived along with the general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the President of State Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Alexander Kozlov, the minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of Russia, and Primorsky Krai Governor Oleg Kozhemyako welcomed and greeted them at the local train station.
Governor Kozhemyako said he was looking forward to more cooperation between Primorsky Krai and DPRK.
“We met with Kim Jong Un, president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, here four years ago. We are looking forward to the launch of joint projects for the development of tourism and agriculture with the DPRK. There’s no doubt that our conversation will be generally about construction, so our local commission will carefully study the mechanisms. We also hope that the DPRK’s health and epidemic prevention restriction measures would allow us to engage more closely,” Governor Kozhemyako said.
It has been four years since his first meeting with Kim Jong Un and the president of state affairs of the DPRK at the same location.
Therefore, on Kim’s second visit, the governor expects the launch of joint projects for further development of tourism and agriculture with the DPRK.
“We also hope that Kim’s visit to Russia will signal that we will maintain exchanges not only at the head of state level and the level of committees but more importantly, in commercial and economic relations since the two sides have always maintained friendly commercial and economic ties. We have proposed several cooperation programs this year, and we will continue to do that as long as possible. Of course, after DPRK’s health authorities finally lift control measures, there will be bilateral visits, including a delegation from Primorsky Krai to the DPRK,” Kozhemyako added.
The governor hopes Kim’s visit to Russia will be a sign of the extension of commercial and economic relations between the two countries.
Now that the DPRK Health authorities have lifted their control measures, he proposed several programs through bilateral visits, including a delegation from the Primorsky Krai to the DPRK.
