Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has announced plans to visit North Korea in October as part of the follow-up actions resulting from the recent meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Lavrov disclosed this during a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York, emphasizing that his upcoming trip to North Korea is a direct outcome of the agreement reached between Putin and Kim Jong Un.
The meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un took place on September 13 at a Russian spaceport, and it is anticipated that discussions regarding Putin’s visit to Pyongyang will feature prominently during Lavrov’s visit to North Korea, as reported by Yonhap News Agency. Notably, Putin had accepted Kim Jong Un’s invitation to visit Russia earlier this month.
During Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia, he conveyed his belief in Russia’s ultimate success in countering “evil forces” and affirmed his unwavering support for Russia, as reported by CNN. Kim praised Russia for its resolute defense of its sovereignty and security against what can be inferred as references to the United States and Western powers. He voiced his full and unconditional support for Russia’s actions in response to these challenges.
Furthermore, Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia included a meeting with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu at the Knevichi airfield in Vladivostok, Russia, according to TASS. During this encounter, Kim was shown the Kinzhal missile system on the MiG-31I missile carrier by the Russian Defence Minister. Lieutenant General Sergey Kobylash, commander of long-range aviation in the Russian Aerospace Forces, provided insights into the flight and technical capabilities of the hypersonic aircraft missile system. Kim Jong Un also received a briefing on modern operational-tactical aircraft within the Russian Aerospace Forces at the Knevichi airfield in Primorye.
Kim Jong Un’s itinerary extended to an inspection of the engineering center and production facilities at the Yuri Gagarin Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant in Russia’s Far East. During this visit, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov accompanied him. According to a statement from the Russian government, the visit encompassed an overview of the engineering center and production facilities at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant, a branch of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), along with the production center of UAC’s civilian division, Yakovlev.
Throughout the visit, Kim Jong-un and Denis Manturov examined the assembly production of fighter aircraft, as well as the final assembly shop for the Su-35 aircraft and the fifth-generation Su-57 aviation complex, as stated by the Russian government.