North Korean leader Kim to visit Russia
Reuters, Seoul :
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has confirmed he will attend celebrations in Russia in May marking the Soviet victory over Germany in World War II, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said today, citing a Kremlin spokesman.
The trip would be Kim’s first foreign visit since taking power in the reclusive state in 2011, succeeding his father Kim Jong Il, who died suddenly, and is likely to come before he visits China, the North’s main ally.
“About 20 state leaders have confirmed their attendance, and the North Korean leader is among them,” South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted the office of Kremlin spokesman as saying in response to its question to President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman.
North Korea and Russia have been looking to boost ties. The North’s relations with China, on the other hand, have cooled since Kim took over and then, in 2013, defied international warnings and U.N. sanctions to conduct a third nuclear test.
“There is no rule that says Kim Jong Un has to go to China first,” said Cheong Seong-chang of South Korea’s Sejong Institute.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has confirmed he will attend celebrations in Russia in May marking the Soviet victory over Germany in World War II, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said today, citing a Kremlin spokesman.
The trip would be Kim’s first foreign visit since taking power in the reclusive state in 2011, succeeding his father Kim Jong Il, who died suddenly, and is likely to come before he visits China, the North’s main ally.
“About 20 state leaders have confirmed their attendance, and the North Korean leader is among them,” South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted the office of Kremlin spokesman as saying in response to its question to President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman.
North Korea and Russia have been looking to boost ties. The North’s relations with China, on the other hand, have cooled since Kim took over and then, in 2013, defied international warnings and U.N. sanctions to conduct a third nuclear test.
“There is no rule that says Kim Jong Un has to go to China first,” said Cheong Seong-chang of South Korea’s Sejong Institute.
