Choe Ryong Hae, secretary of the Chosun
Workers’ Party, met with Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow as a special
envoy for Kim Jong Eun on the 18th. The delegation arrived a day later than expected after the plane transporting it from Pyongyang experienced mechanical difficulties.
The Kremlin Press Office announced the
visit on the same day, stating that Choe carried with him a personal letter
from Kim Jong Eun to present to President Putin.
Details from the closed-door
meeting have not been revealed, but measures to strengthen ties between the two
nations were among the topics to have been discussed in the one-hour meeting. The visit has
also prompted speculation that the two countries may be considering a bilateral summit in the near future.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry previously announced bilateral
trade and improving economic cooperation to be at the top of the agenda for discussions with the North Korean delegation.
Choe will remain in Moscow until the 22nd, after
which he is scheduled to tour the eastern cities of Khabarovsk and
Vladivostok, before heading home to Pyongyang on November 24th.
