▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (right)
Russia has announced that it has officially invited North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit the country.
According to Russia's state-run TASS news agency, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said on the 24th (local time), "Kim Jong-un has been invited to visit our country," adding, "Russia is always pleased to welcome the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
He also added that the schedule for the visit will be coordinated through diplomatic channels.
Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Kim to visit Russia following their summit in Pyongyang in June 2024, and made the same proposal when they reunited at China's Victory Day military parade in September of last year.
In July of this year, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui made a surprise visit to Russia at the invitation of the Russian Foreign Ministry, prompting speculation that Kim's visit to Moscow within the year might materialize.
Kim has visited Russia twice, in 2019 and 2023, but both times he met with President Putin in the Far East region and has never visited the capital, Moscow.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also stated in March when the news of Kim's re-election was announced, "Russia will always welcome the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," noting that the invitation to visit Russia remains valid.
North Korea and Russia have been strengthening ties through the signing of the "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty" in 2024 and the deployment of North Korean troops to Ukraine.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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