Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un outside Russia’s state-of-the-art space launch facility, the Vostochny Cosmodrome, in the Far East, as they began their highly-anticipated summit. However, as the two leaders embarked on a tour of the space launch site, reports emerged of North Korea conducting a missile launch off its east coast.
The meeting between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin has drawn significant attention, with the United States and its allies closely monitoring the discussions, amid concerns of enhanced defense cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
At the Vostochny Cosmodrome, President Putin welcomed Kim Jong Un with a handshake that lasted for about 40 seconds, expressing, “I am glad to see you.” Putin then showcased the space launch facility to his North Korean counterpart, describing it as “our new cosmodrome.”
In response, Kim Jong Un thanked Putin for the invitation and the warm welcome, conversing through an interpreter.
The summit holds substantial importance due to the possibility of an agreement on the exchange of weapons and defense technology, a matter of concern for Washington and its allies. The United States and South Korea have raised apprehensions about North Korea transferring weapons and ammunition to Russia, which has faced significant supply shortages in Ukraine. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied such plans.
The choice of the Vostochny Cosmodrome for the meeting was significant, given North Korea’s recent failed attempts to launch spy satellites. It symbolizes Russia’s ambitions to establish itself as a space power.
Video footage released by the RIA news agency showed Kim and Putin sharing a friendly handshake and smiles, surrounded by security personnel and Russian media representatives, before entering a gleaming glass-walled building for further discussions.
However, tensions escalated as South Korean military and Japanese government sources reported that North Korea had launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, near the capital, Pyongyang, just hours before the scheduled summit. This launch occurred while Kim Jong Un was away, marking the first such launch in his twelve years of leadership.
Kim Jong Un’s rare international trips have been infrequent, with only seven departures from North Korea during his leadership, all of which occurred in 2018 and 2019, including two brief crossings of the inter-Korean border.
The missile launch casts a shadow over the summit’s agenda, raising questions about the timing and implications of North Korea’s military actions amid diplomatic efforts with Russia. International observers will closely follow the developments arising from the Putin-Kim meeting and the missile launch.
