Moscow, Pyongyang confirm North Korean leader will visit Russia

Moscow and Pyongyang on Monday confirmed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be visiting Russia to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"At the invitation of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the Chairman of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kim Jong-un, will pay an official visit to the Russian Federation in the coming days," said a Kremlin statement.

Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency also confirmed the visit, without providing further details.

The confirmation came days after the White House claimed that secretive talks between Russia and North Korea to supply the Kremlin with munitions for its war effort in Ukraine are "actively advancing." Last week, The New York Times reported that Kim would travel by rail to the Russian Far East city of Vladivostok to discuss a possible weapons deal.

Earlier Monday, an unnamed South Korean official told Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency that a special North Korean train “believed to be carrying” Kim has departed for Russia.

Heightened security measures were put in place around a train station in Vladivostok on Monday after the South Korean official claimed that Kim was "believed" to be traveling to Russia, according to the news agency.

Kim is believed to be attending the 2023 Eastern Economic Forum, which is currently taking place in Vladivostok and will last through Wednesday.

"A large number of police personnel were spotted inside Vladivostok station, unlike the previous day," said the Yonhap report.

It added: "Soldiers with service dogs, men in black suits, as well as a black car surrounded by police officials entering the platform were also seen at the station, although it was unclear whether the vehicle was related to Kim's possible visit."

The North Korean leader last visited Russia in 2019.