The North Korean leader’s trip was aimed at strengthening ties with Russia and had international implications
North Korean leader Kim Jongun has completed his sixday trip to Russia. On Sunday (September 17), he boarded his armored train in Artyom in the Russian Far East to return to North Korea.
Kim had a farewell ceremony attended by senior Russian government officials. Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov and Primorye Region Governor Oleg Kozhemyako attended the ceremony, where a Russian military band played the national anthems of North Korea and Russia.
This was the North Korean leader’s longest international trip since he took power in late 2011.
Kim arrived in Russia on Tuesday (September 12) to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where the leaders discussed economic and military cooperation. Officials and experts said North Korea could offer muchneeded arms and ammunition for the war in Ukraine in exchange for Russian weapons technology.
North Korea’s state news agency KCNA said Kim’s visit to Russia marked the beginning of a “new era of friendship, solidarity and cooperation” between the two nations.
During the meeting with Putin, Kim said his country would “fully and unconditionally support Russia’s struggle to defend its security interests in the fight against imperialism.” This was the 2nd meeting between Kim and Putin. The last meeting took place in Vladivostok in April 2019.
Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of Primorye, said that a delegation from Russia’s Far East would visit North Korea. According to Russian state media, Kozhemyako said he would be part of the delegation that would travel with experts from the fields of trade, tourism and agriculture. The exact timing of the visit to North Korea was not announced.
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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said that “military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is illegal and unfair as it violates UN Security Council resolutions and several other international sanctions.”
The UN Security Council, of which Russia is a permanent member, had previously approved the ban in resolutions, so that North Korea is not allowed to export or import weapons. The Kremlin denied on Friday (September 15) that an agreement was signed at the meeting between Putin and Kim.