North Korean Leader and Putin Meet, Pledge Unwavering Support for Russia’s ‘Crucial Battle’
Kim Jong Un said his country would “fully and unconditionally support” Russia’s “sacred fight” against the “hegemonic forces.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that his country would “fully and unconditionally support” Russia’s “sacred fight” against the “hegemonic forces.”
The two leaders exchanged handshakes and Mr. Kim expressed his gratitude for the invitation. He signed the visitor book in Korean: “The glory to Russia, which gave birth to the first space conquerors, will be immortal.”
Mr. Putin gave his North Korean counterpart a tour around the building where Russia’s new space booster, the Angara, is assembled. During the tour, he was asked by a reporter whether Russia would help North Korea build its own satellites, and he replied, “That’s why we came here.”
“The leader of the DPRK shows great interest in rocket engineering; they are also trying to develop space,” he added, using North Korea’s official name the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Mr. Kim also expressed his “full and unconditional support” for Russia’s “sacred fight” to defend its security interests and said that North Korea will support Russia’s decisions “in the fight against imperialism.”
When asked if they would discuss military cooperation, Mr. Putin said that their talks will touch on “all issues.” These include economic cooperation, humanitarian issues, and the “situation in the region.”
After the tour, the two leaders headed a meeting of their delegations and then spoke one-on-one, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
North Korea Launches Missiles Ahead of Talks
Just hours before their meeting, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported. Japan also detected the launches, saying that the missiles flew on an irregular trajectory.
The missiles traveled about 650 kilometers (404 miles), according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). They were launched from the Sunan area between 11:43 a.m. and 11:53 a.m. local time.
“While preparing for additional provocations from North Korea, our military is closely monitoring activities and signs from the country in close coordination with the United States,” the JCS told reporters.

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