The North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, will visit Moscow in May.
“North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, plans to visit Moscow this May in his first trip abroad since assuming power in 2011, a Kremlin spokesman announced on Wednesday,” the New York Times reports.
The confirmation from Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, came amid a strengthening in ties between the two countries, even as North Korea remains isolated and has seen a chill in relations with its closest ally, China.
“The North Korean leader’s participation has been confirmed, and we are getting ready for his arrival,” Mr. Peskov said in remarks carried by the Interfax news agency.
North Korea has not confirmed the trip, which is scheduled for May 9, coinciding with the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany. Mr. Peskov told South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, which first reported the planned visit, that about 20 state leaders had said they would attend.
“The North Korean leader’s participation has been confirmed, and we are getting ready for his arrival,” Mr. Peskov said in remarks carried by the Interfax news agency.
North Korea has not confirmed the trip, which is scheduled for May 9, coinciding with the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany. Mr. Peskov told South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, which first reported the planned visit, that about 20 state leaders had said they would attend.
