Status: 15.01.2024, 15:30 PM
By: Bona Hyun
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At the invitation of Lavrov: The North Korean Foreign Minister arrived in Russia for a three-day visit. Some topics of conversation leaked out.
MOSCOW – North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui will be in Russia from Monday (15 January) to Wednesday (17 January) for talks with Sergei Lavrov. At their meeting, Choe Son Hui plans to discuss the economic, political and military ties between the two countries with her Russian counterpart, according to Reuters.
North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui will be in Russia from Monday to Wednesday (15-17 January 01). A meeting with his colleague Sergey Lavrov is planned. © Russian Foreign Ministry/imago
North Korea's foreign minister visits Russia – Putin could also receive her
It is not excluded that Vladimir Putin will also receive them, said Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov. According to information from the Kremlin, the Russian president wants to travel to ruler Kim Jong-un in isolated North Korea in the near future. Putin has received an invitation to do so, Peskov also said on Monday.
Choe apparently arrived in Moscow on Sunday (14 January) and was met by representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the North Korean embassy. This was reported by the North Korean state news agency KZNA (Korea Central News Agency).
Sensitive visit to North Korea: Criticism of alleged arms deal with Russia grows
The meeting between the two foreign ministers is fuelling theories about an advanced arms deal between the two countries. The US is now certain that Russia has already used missiles from North Korea in the Ukraine war. In November 2023, South Korea's intelligence agency NIS said it had found that "more than one million artillery shells had been handed over to Russia," MP Yoo Sang Bum reported after a closed parliamentary session in Seoul. According to the report, Pyongyang will also receive technical advice from Moscow for the launch of a military reconnaissance satellite.
Most recently, around 50 countries have condemned the delivery of North Korean missiles to Russia and their use against Ukraine. Experts, however, suspect that Moscow and Pyongyang want to expand their arms partnership despite international criticism. The US State Department released a statement to this effect. It has also been joined by Germany and almost all European countries, as well as Canada, Israel, Australia, Japan and South Korea.
According to US intelligence, Russia launched missiles with a range of several hundred kilometers from North Korea into Ukraine during heavy air strikes on December 29, 2023 and January 2, 2024. The use of North Korean weapons by Russia has an impact on the security situation in Europe, on the Korean Peninsula, in the Pacific region and around the world, it said.
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Tension between North Korea and South Korea grows – Kim convenes meeting
The situation on the Korean Peninsula is already tense due to the recent shelling from North Korea and threats from Kim. Thus, Kim has intensified his rhetoric towards the neighboring country, calling South Korea the "main enemy" of his country.
North Korea must strengthen nuclear deterrence, he said during a visit to an ammunition factory, according to KZNA. Earlier, he had already announced a "fundamental change" in relations with South Korea and threatened annihilation. Kim will convene a key parliamentary session on Monday, according to South Korea's yonhap news agency, where the relationship between North and South Korea will be on the agenda. (bohy/dpa)