N. Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly on his way to Vladivostok
北, 김정은 방러 공식 발표 "푸틴 초청 정상회담 진행" Good Evening. It's 9 PM here in Seoul. Thank you for joining us on Arirang News. We start with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as we speak, reportedly moving toward the border with Russia. This, as Kremlin said Putin invited Kim for upcoming summits between the two, on the sidelines of an economic forum in Vladivostok this week. Our North Korean affairs correspondent Lee Rae-hyun leads us off. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is reportedly on his way to Vladivostok to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The North's state-run Korea Central News Agency says that Putin had invited Kim to the top summit and the Kremlin has officially confirmed that Kim will be visiting Russia. A key South Korean government official said on Monday that a train that Kim is expected to be on had departed for Russia on Sunday afternoon. Kim is expected to arrive in Vladivostok on Tuesday and then meet his Russian counterpart on either 12th or 13th. A spokesperson for the Kremlin had earlier said that talks between the two leaders during the Eastern Economic Forum or on the sidelines have not been planned. Citing multiple sources, Russian news agency Interfax had also said that the North Korean leader is likely to visit the Russian Far East in the coming days however it added that the sources did not specify details on Kim's visit. South Korea's Defense Ministry earlier on Monday said there's a high possibility that Kim will have talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Unification Ministry has expressed concern of potential military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow. "We are concerned about the military cooperation between the two. We want to make sure that the bilateral ties should not harm international norms and peace on the Korean Peninsula." U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris also warned that the meeting between the two leaders would be a huge mistake for the North. She said this during an interview on CBS where she said this is Russia's "act of desperation." Harris said that it's "predictable" that the North's arms supply would be used for Russia's war in Ukraine which will further isolate Pyongyang and Moscow. South Korea's foreign minister Park Jin on Sunday sat down with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi where he highlighted that the relations between North Korea and Russia should aim for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeastern Asia. The minister also urged Russia's constructive cooperation with the UN Security Council on the North Korean issue. Lee Rae-hyun, Arirang News. #Russia #NorthKorea #KimJongun #VladimirPutin #Vladivostok #북한 #러시아 #김정은 #푸틴 #정상회담 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : / arirangtvnews 📣 Twitter : / arirangtvnews 📣 Homepage : https://v2.arirang.com/ 2023-09-11, 21:00 (KST)
