Kim Jong Un arrives in Russia in his luxurious train for first trip since COVID-19 pandemic

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday, South Korea's military and Russian state media said, where he is expected to hold a highly anticipated meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

"The Ministry of National Defense believes that North Korea's Kim Jong Un entered Russia early this morning using a private train," Seoul said.

Kim boarded his personal armored train in Pyongyang on Sunday, according the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

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The meeting of Putin and Kim Jong Un will likely take place in Vladivostok - CNN.

Their first meeting ever also took place there, in April 2019.

Putin has already arrived to Vladivostok on Monday, the Kremlin reported. Kim Jong Un is most likely traveling there by train now.… pic.twitter.com/bc453U7HnL

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 11, 2023 >

He was reportedly joined by unspecified members of the ruling party and military.

Russia's RIA Novosti news agency later shared photos claiming to show Kim's dark green train carriages being pulled by a Russian Railways locomotive in the Primorsky region.

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#BREAKING_NEWS In a captivating one-minute video that has recently surfaced, viewers are treated to a rare glimpse of what appears to be a North Korean train, similar to those frequently utilized by the enigmatic leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un.

The video, purportedly shot… pic.twitter.com/SPbG27niXD

— Russian Monitor (@mperomedia) September 11, 2023 >

What's on the agenda?

The meeting would be Kim's first foreign trip since the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the hermit state to tighten its border restrictions even further.

One possible venue could be the city of Vladivostok in Russia's Far East. Putin arrived in Vladivostok on Monday to attend the Eastern Economic Forum that runs through Wednesday.

Analysts, as well as US officials, believe the meeting could be a chance for Putin to request artillery shells and antitank missiles from North Korea to be used against Ukraine.

"Having to travel across the length of his own country to meet with an international pariah to ask for assistance in a war that he expected to win in the opening month, I would characterize it as him begging for assistance," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

In return, Kim is reportedly seeking advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, as well as food aid for his impoverished nation.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Putin and Kim could hold one-on-one meetings if necessary.

"As you know, while implementing our relations with our neighbours, including North Korea, the interests of our two countries are important to us, and not warnings from Washington," he said.

"It is the interests of our two countries that we will focus on."