Photo : YONHAP News
Russia has officially invited North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit the country.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko confirmed the invitation on Thursday, according to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency.
Rudenko said Kim had been invited to visit and that Moscow would always be pleased to welcome the North Korean leader.
The minister added that the schedule for the visit would be coordinated through diplomatic channels.
Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Kim to visit Russia after they held a summit in Pyongyang in June 2024.
Putin extended the invitation again when the two leaders met at a military parade in China last September.
Speculation grew that Kim could visit Moscow this year after North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui made an unexpected trip to Russia in July at the invitation of the Russian foreign ministry.
Kim has visited Russia twice, meeting Putin in the country’s Far East in both 2019 and 2023, but he has never visited Moscow.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in March that Russia would always welcome the North Korean leader, indicating that the invitation remained open.
North Korea and Russia have significantly deepened their ties since signing a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in 2024.
Their military cooperation has also expanded, with North Korea deploying troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.