Brass band and red carpet
Kim Jong Un enters Russia in armor
September 12, 2023, 7:55 p.m
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The North Korean leader doesn’t often leave his own country. He is said to have been in Russia with his armored train since the evening before. When and where he will meet Putin remains unclear. However, the topics of conversation should have explosive content.
Russian media have published a video of Kim Jong Un’s arrival in the east of the giant country. In the clip, which was distributed by the Russian state agency Ria Novosti, among others, Kim can be seen getting out of an armored train painted olive green in the dark and being greeted by a brass band. A red carpet was also laid out for the North Korean ruler.
However, the video was apparently recorded on Monday evening during a stopover in the border town of Khassan in the Russian Far East. Kim had already left Pyongyang on Sunday because the armored train travels rather slowly. According to the South Korean newspaper “Chosun Ilbo”, it only has a top speed of 60 km/h.
Russian Environment Minister Alexander Kozlov said he met Kim in the border area. The governor of the Primorye Region, Oleg Kozhemyako, said that Kim had already been in transit there on Monday. According to him, the Russian delegation discussed the possible launch of joint tourism and agricultural projects with the hope of deepening economic ties with Pyongyang.
Peskov speaks of “delicate issues”
During his visit to Russia, Kim wants to meet with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, who was most recently in the eastern Pacific port city of Vladivostok. Both the place and time of the conversation remain unclear. “In the next few days,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is quoted only by the Interfax agency.
It is assumed that it will primarily be about arms deals between Russia and the strictly isolated North Korea. Peskov had previously reported discussions on “delicate topics”. “It will be a full-fledged visit,” the Kremlin spokesman continued. “There will be negotiations between two delegations and after that the heads of state and government will continue their communication one-on-one if necessary.”
Moscow needs ammunition – Pyongyang needs Russian technology
Russia urgently needs ammunition for its war of aggression against Ukraine, while North Korea, on the other hand, is likely to hope for Russian technologies for satellites or for the construction of nuclear submarines. According to the North Korean news agency KCNA, Kim was accompanied on his trip by high-ranking military officials, including officials responsible for weapons production and space technology.
At the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin said he planned to go to the Vostochny Cosmodrome, more than 1,500 km north, but did not say whether he planned to meet Kim there. He said he has his own program, adding: “When I get there, you will know.”
Kim doesn’t travel abroad often, leaving his country only seven times and crossing the inter-Korean border twice during his 12 years in power. Four of those trips were to the North’s main political ally, China.