NHK reported on the 12th, citing multiple diplomatic sources including high-ranking Russian government officials, that Russian President Vladimir Putin is coordinating a visit to North Korea early next week.
According to NHK, Putin will be visiting North Korea for the first time in 24 years since July 2000. The media outlet also stated that it appears the main purpose is to strengthen military ties between Russia and North Korea amid the protracted Ukraine war.
Putin had accepted an invitation to visit Pyongyang on the spot when he held a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast, Russia, last September.
NHK reported that Kim invited Putin to receive more technical support from Russia in the military and space sectors, considering that it was not long after North Korea failed to launch a military reconnaissance satellite last month.
Meanwhile, NHK reported that Putin is also coordinating a visit to Vietnam around the latter part of next week with the possibility that Putin may visit North Korea and Vietnam consecutively.
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