It has been reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin was late for his visit to North Korea.
TASS reported that Putin arrived in North Korea around 2:45 a.m. on the 19th. Initially, Russian authorities reported that Putin would come late in the evening of the 18th, but he landed after the date had changed.
Initially scheduled for two days, the visit to North Korea is expected to last less than 24 hours. Putin leaves for Vietnam on the 19th.
He must complete essential schedules in less than a day, including a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Putin is notorious for his chronic lateness. He often arrives 1-2 hours late for meetings with foreign leaders.
In 2019, he was nearly 2 hours late for a summit with then-President Moon Jae In at the G20 summit.
In 2014, he was 4 hours late for a meeting with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and in 2016, he was 2 hours late for a meeting with then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Putin-Kim Jong Un Show Close Ties with Two Hugs
After nine months, Putin and Kim met again, showing their close ties with two hugs.
In a video released by the Kremlin, Putin’s IL-96 aircraft landed on the moon-rise dark runway of Pyongyang Sunan International Airport in the early morning of the 19th.
Despite Putin arriving much later than expected, Kim was neatly dressed and waiting at the airport to welcome him.
Kim waited with his hands clasped behind his back until Putin emerged from the plane, a gesture that Russian media outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda interpreted as the highest sign of trust.
Putin descended the airplane stairs onto the red carpet.
They shook hands with bright smiles, exchanged greetings, and hugged twice.
After a long conversation through an interpreter, the two leaders hugged again. Throughout the conversation, they kept holding their hands.
Putin also received a bouquet from a woman dressed in a purple hanbok (traditional Korean clothing).
They walked towards the car along the red carpet, the honor guards lined, continuing their conversation as they moved. They paused for a moment to converse through an interpreter. Putin was mainly seen talking with hand gestures while Kim listened attentively, nodding.
North Korean officials at the airport were overheard telling the Russian delegation in Russian, “It’s hot. The temperature is 32 degrees.”
At the end of the red carpet, Putin and Kim were seen in front of the parked Aurus limousine, each insisting that the other enter the vehicle first.
Eventually, Putin got into the right rear seat first, and Kim walked smilingly across to the left rear seat. It is expected that Putin and Kim would have had a private conversation in the car.
Aurus is a top-class Russian limousine that Putin gifted to Kim in February. Interfax reported that Putin’s Aurus was the limousine they rode in.
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