Support The Moscow Times!

First Putin-Kim Summit to Take Place on April 25, Kremlin Confirms

Ahn Young-joon / AP / TASS

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia's Far East capital of Vladivostok for his first summit with President Vladimir Putin on April 25, the Kremlin confirmed on Tuesday.

The leaders will discuss political and diplomatic efforts to settle the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula, and Kim's visit is key in this process, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.

He said Russia's bilateral trade with North Korea fell by more than 56 percent last year because of sanctions against Pyongyang but Moscow thinks it is important that North Korea and the United States are interested in maintaining their contact.

Kim is scheduled to visit Vladivostok with an entourage of 230 people, Russia's Kommersant newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing two sources close to the process of planning the visit.

NK News, a group that follows North Korea, showed photos on its website on Monday of preparations underway at Vladivostok's Far Eastern Federal University, likely to host part of the summit, with workers installing North Korean and Russian flags.


										 					Google Maps
Google Maps

Kim's chief aide, Kim Chang Son, was seen in Vladivostok on Sunday according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, leading to speculation that the Putin-Kim summit will be held in the city around April 24-25.

Kim’s sister, propaganda director Kim Yo Jong, had arrived in Vladivostok on Monday and was briefed by the chief aide there, South Korea’s The Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported, citing an unidentified source.

Russian engineers had to “urgently dig up” the Vladivostok railway station gates and make them 20 centimeters deeper to accommodate Kim’s limousine over the weekend, Kommersant reported. At least two limousines have been spotted on the campus of Vladivostok’s Far Eastern Federal University on Russky Island on Monday.


										 					MT
MT

Russky Island waterways will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for Kim’s visit, the Primorye region’s small vessels inspectorate confirmed to Interfax.

The two have never met since Kim came to power after his father Kim Jong Il’s death in 2011. The visit is also part of Kim's effort to build foreign support for his economic development plans, analysts said, after the breakdown of a second U.S.-North Korea summit in Vietnam in February meant no relief on sanctions for North Korea.

Russia has for years been involved in efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear program. It was involved in so-called six party talks — along with the two Koreas, Japan, the United States and China — that were last held in 2009.

South Korea's foreign ministry said it understood the agenda of the Putin-Kim summit would include Russia-North Korea relations, denuclearization and regional cooperation.

Reuters contributed reporting to this article.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more