Russian minister in Pyongyang amid speculation over N.K. leader’s trip to Moscow

SEOUL, Apr 2, 2019, Yonhap. A senior Russian official has arrived in North Korea, Pyongyang’s state media reported Tuesday, amid speculation that leader Kim Jong-un might be preparing to visit the neighboring country for his first-ever summit with President Vladimir Putin, reported the Yonhap.

“Vladimir Kolokoltsev, minister of Interior of the Russian Federation, and his party arrived here on Monday,” the Korean Central News Agency said. It did not elaborate on why and how long he will stay in Pyongyang.

The trip by Kolokoltsev, who is known to be in charge of security issues, came amid speculation that North Korean leader Kim is preparing to visit Russia for his first summit with Putin. Some expect the trip to come as early as this month.

Earlier, Kim Chang-son, known as Kim Jong-un’s de facto chief of staff, visited Moscow and Vladivostok, spawning speculation that the leader’s Russia trip might be imminent.

Leader Kim has visited China four times since last year for summits with Chinese President Xi Jinping, including the latest one in January. He, however, has not traveled to Russia since taking office in late 2011.

North Korea appears to be intensifying its diplomacy with Russia since the breakdown of February’s summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump. Three senior North Korean officials made back-to-back visits to Russia last month.