SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has returned home from a trip to Russia where he deepened “comradely fellowship and friendly ties” with President Vladimir Putin, state media reported.
The official Korean Central News Agency in separate reports said Kim’s train crossed a border river on Monday morning and Kim was greeted by the “ardent” cheers of a huge crowd at a Pyongyang rail station Tuesday evening. Wednesday’s KNCA report said senior North Korean officials congratulated him on advancing relations with Russia.
While traveling through Russia’s far eastern region, Kim met Putin at Russia’s most important space launch center before visiting military sites to see some of Russia’s most advanced weapons systems such as nuclear-capable bombers, fighter jets and hypersonic missiles. Many outside experts say Kim would supply ammunition to refill Russia’s drained inventory in the second year of the war in Ukraine in return for receiving Russian technologies to modernize his nuclear weapons arsenals. U.S. and South Korean officials have warned that Russia and North Korea would face consequences if they go ahead with such weapons transfers deals in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.