North Korean, Russian Leaders Meet to Discuss Military Aid
2023-09-14
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1North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met Wednesday at Russia's new spaceport in the Far East.
2Putin showed Kim the Vostochny Cosmodrome spaceport and discussed the possibility of sending a North Korean cosmonaut into space.
3After the tour, Putin and Kim talked for several hours about world issues and possible areas of cooperation.
4At lunch, Kim gave a toast to Putin's health, to the victory of "great Russia" and Korean-Russian friendship.
5He predicted victory for Russia in, what he called, its "sacred fight" with the West in the Ukraine war.
6Putin suggested that military cooperation was discussed but released few details.
7Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also attended the talks.
8However, Russian officials said sensitive discussions between the neighbors were a private matter.
9U.S. and South Korean officials have expressed concern that the rare meeting could lead to a deal to supply Russia with ammunition for the war in Ukraine.
10Concern about the two countries' military cooperation grew after Shoigu visited North Korea in July.
11Kim then visited his weapons factories, which experts said aimed to support North Korea's weapons modernization and show military supplies for export to Russia.
12Putin is believed to be seeking North Korean supplies of aging ammunition and rockets from the time when the Soviet Union existed.
13Such a request would mark a change from the period of the Korean War which lasted from 1950 to 1953.
14At that time, Russia gave weapons to support North Korea's invasion of South Korea.
15James Nixey is the director of the Russia and Eurasia program at London-based research group Chatham House.
16He said Russia cannot produce enough weapons for the war in Ukraine and any deal with North Korea would be to ensure that immediate needs are met.
17The decision to meet at the Vostochny Cosmodrome suggests Kim is seeking Russian help in developing spy satellites.
18In recent months, North Korea has repeatedly failed to put its first military spy satellite into orbit.
19Official photos showed Kim brought Pak Thae Song, head of North Korea's space science and technology committee, and Kim Myong Sik who is linked with spy satellites and submarine-based nuclear ballistic missile efforts.
20When asked by Russian media that attended the meeting, if Russia would help Kim build satellites, Putin said: "That's why we came here."
21Putin told Russian state TV that Kim will visit two more cities in the Russian Far East on his own after the meeting.
22Kim is expected to visit an aircraft factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and then go to Vladivostok to observe Russia's Pacific Fleet, a university and other places.
23I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met Wednesday at Russia's new spaceport in the Far East. 2Putin showed Kim the Vostochny Cosmodrome spaceport and discussed the possibility of sending a North Korean cosmonaut into space. After the tour, Putin and Kim talked for several hours about world issues and possible areas of cooperation. 3At lunch, Kim gave a toast to Putin's health, to the victory of "great Russia" and Korean-Russian friendship. He predicted victory for Russia in, what he called, its "sacred fight" with the West in the Ukraine war. 4Russia seeking help with ammunition 5Putin suggested that military cooperation was discussed but released few details. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also attended the talks. However, Russian officials said sensitive discussions between the neighbors were a private matter. 6U.S. and South Korean officials have expressed concern that the rare meeting could lead to a deal to supply Russia with ammunition for the war in Ukraine. 7Concern about the two countries' military cooperation grew after Shoigu visited North Korea in July. Kim then visited his weapons factories, which experts said aimed to support North Korea's weapons modernization and show military supplies for export to Russia. 8Putin is believed to be seeking North Korean supplies of aging ammunition and rockets from the time when the Soviet Union existed. Such a request would mark a change from the period of the Korean War which lasted from 1950 to 1953. At that time, Russia gave weapons to support North Korea's invasion of South Korea. 9James Nixey is the director of the Russia and Eurasia program at London-based research group Chatham House. He said Russia cannot produce enough weapons for the war in Ukraine and any deal with North Korea would be to ensure that immediate needs are met. 10North Korea wants space technology 11The decision to meet at the Vostochny Cosmodrome suggests Kim is seeking Russian help in developing spy satellites. In recent months, North Korea has repeatedly failed to put its first military spy satellite into orbit. 12Official photos showed Kim brought Pak Thae Song, head of North Korea's space science and technology committee, and Kim Myong Sik who is linked with spy satellites and submarine-based nuclear ballistic missile efforts. 13When asked by Russian media that attended the meeting, if Russia would help Kim build satellites, Putin said: "That's why we came here." 14Putin told Russian state TV that Kim will visit two more cities in the Russian Far East on his own after the meeting. Kim is expected to visit an aircraft factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and then go to Vladivostok to observe Russia's Pacific Fleet, a university and other places. 15I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 16Hai Do adapted this report for VOA Learning English from Associated Press and Reuters sources. 17____________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19cosmonaut -n. the Russian term for astronaut 20tour -n. a trip through either a larger area of land or even of a building to see what is in it 21sacred -adj. highly valued and important