Seoul, Sep 12 (EFE).- The armored train carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday crossed into Russia, according to South Korea’s defense ministry and Russian media, ahead of his scheduled summit with President Vladimir Putin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University, in Russki Island, Vladivostok, Russia. EFE FILE/Alexander Zemlianichenko / Pool
The heavy, slow-moving, high-security train crossed the Korea-Russia Friendship Bridge over the Tumen River early Tuesday morning, local time, according to a brief text sent to journalists by a spokesperson for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
Russian media outlets in the region also reported the train being spotted in Russian territory.
Kim left Pyongyang bound for Russia on Sunday afternoon, according to North Korean state media on Tuesday.
It is expected that he is traveling to Vladivostok where Putin is participating in the Eastern Economic Forum. Vladivostok lies around 1,130 kilometers (700 miles) from Pyongyang.
Kim is accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Choe Son-hui and Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam, and senior military representatives, including the director of the Munitions Industry Department, as shown in photos published Tuesday by KCNA.
Neither North Korean nor Russian officials have officially confirmed when and where the meeting between the two leaders will take place.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University, in Russki Island, Vladivostok, Russia. EFE FILE/Alexander Zemlianichenko / Pool
The KCNA photos show a group queuing to board the train, including Choe and Kang, two members of the Presidium of the Politburo, Ri Pyong-chol and Pak Jong-chon, and Munitions Industry Department director Jo Chun-ryong.
The presence of the high command and of Jo, who was in charge of Kim’s recent visit to a munitions factory, seems to be in line with last week’s New York Times reports that Putin may be looking to buy North Korean weapons for Moscow to use in Ukraine.
The Munitions Industry Department has been sanctioned since 2016 by United Nations Security Council resolutions, considering that it “oversees [North Korea’s] weapons production and R&D programs, including [North Korea’s] ballistic missile program.”
Also in the delegation was Pak Thae-song, secretary for science and education of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party, which is linked to the North Korean space program.
The New York Times said that in his meeting with Putin, Kim may be expecting to receive advanced technology for satellites, in addition to food aid.
The newspaper added that Pyongyang could also be interested in technology transfers for nuclear-powered submarines, while South Korean intelligence has said that the Kremlin has proposed joint maritime maneuvers.
In that sense, Navy chief Kim Myong-sik also appears to be part of the delegation.
Any exchange of weapons or technologies related to North Korea would violate UN sanctions against Pyongyang. EFE
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