North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has left the country at dawn on Wednesday, travelling to Moscow via train to hold the first-ever summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Kim was accompanied by his top-level government and army officials, as reported by state-run KCNA. It has said, residents and officials summoned at Pyongyang’s railway station to see off Kim.
Kim is scheduled to meet Putin in the Moscow’s pacific port of Vladivostok on Thursday in order to hold discussions related to the foreign standoff over North Korean nuclear and missile programme, according to Kremlin official.
Thursday’s summit will mark the first-ever meeting between Kim and Putin. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters the “nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula” would be the main agenda of Kim-Putin summit.
“In the last few months the situation around the peninsula has stabilised somewhat, thanks in large part to North Korea’s initiatives of stopping rocket testing and closing its nuclear test site,” Ushakov said.
He added, “Russia intends to help in any way possible to cement that positive trend.”
South Korean foreign ministry said it has noted agenda of the summit i.e., North Korea-Russia bilateral ties and cooperations, Koran Peninsula denuclearization, and national and regional cooperation, according to Reuters news reports.
In South Korea’s capital, Seoul, foreign ministry spokesperson Kim In-chul said, “Russia shares our viewpoints such as the achievement of complete denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula and the settlement of permanent peace,” adding, “I hope that the summit will be an opportunity that contributes to positive progress.”