Kremlin says Putin to visit North Korea within hours

“At the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a friendly state visit to the DPRK on June 18-19,” the Kremlin said.

North Korea’s Kim paid an official visit to Russia in September 2023. Russia became the first country on the North Korean leader’s itinerary since the pandemic. During his stay in Russia’s Far East, the North Korean president invited his Russian counterpart to make a return visit when he thinks fit.

The only time Putin visited North Korea was in July 2000, two months after his first inauguration is president. During that visit, he discussed bilateral and international issues with Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, who held the post of the republic’s leader then. Putin visited the mausoleum for Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea, and laid flowers at the Liberation Monument honoring Soviet Army soldiers.