Vladimir Putin with Kim Jong Un
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised North Korea assistance in building satellites and walked Kim Jong Un around Russia’s most advanced space launch facility before talks that were supposed to involve military issues.
Kim arrived by train at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, which is situated in the forests of eastern Russia near the Chinese border, after crossing into Russia early Tuesday.
When the media asked if Russia would assist Kim in building satellites, Putin responded, “That’s why we came here. The leader of the DPRK shows great interest in rocket engineering; they are also trying to develop space”.
In response to a question about whether he and Kim would address military problems, Putin stated that they would discuss everything.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu is in attendance.
“I am glad to see you”, Putin remarked as he shook Kim’s hand for almost 40 seconds at Vostochny. “This is our new cosmodrome”, Putin continued.
The Russian president also congratulated Kim on North Korean anniversaries, including the 75th anniversary of the country’s founding in 1948.
Kim thanked Putin for the invitation and for the kind reception he received. He then wrote in Korean in the guest book, “The glory to Russia, which gave birth to the first space conquerors, will be immortal”.
During his tour of the space station, Kim asked Putin a slew of detailed questions.
Putin took Kim on a tour of the facility where Russia’s new space booster, the Angara, is assembled. Payloads are launched into low Earth orbit by the 42.7-metre rocket.
The US has accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia, but it is unclear whether any supplies have occurred. Both Russia and North Korea have refuted the allegations, but have committed to strengthening defence cooperation.
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson stated, “As neighbours, our countries implement cooperation in sensitive areas that should not become the subject of public disclosure and announcement”.
“But this is quite natural for neighbouring states”, he added.
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