Military, economic and other cooperation between North Korea and Russia have sharply increased since Kim visited Russia last September for a meeting with Putin. Kim’s comments came as media reports said Putin is expected to visit North Korea as early as next week. AdvertisementRussian business daily Vedomosti, citing an unidentified diplomatic source, said Monday that Putin will visit North Korea and Vietnam “in the coming weeks.” The report quoted Russia’s ambassador in North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, as saying that preparations for Putin’s visit to North Korea were underway. Russia and North Korea are locked in separate confrontations with the United States — Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and North Korea over its advancing nuclear program. Recently, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen again as North Korea launched trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea, prompting the South to resume propaganda broadcasts at border areas.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 12, 2024 05:18 UTC