ID :
202352
Fri, 08/19/2011 - 14:10
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/202352
The shortlink copeid
N. Korean leader's visit to Russia imminent: Seoul sources
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il will likely visit Russia soon, South Korean lawmakers said Friday, citing a report by the nation's intelligence agency.
The National Intelligence Service reported during a parliamentary meeting earlier in the day that Kim's visit to Russia is "imminent," according to the lawmakers who attended the gathering.
"Currently, we can't tell details such as what transportation he will use along with his itinerary, " said Rep. Hwang Jin-ha of the ruling Grand National Party after the meeting. "Though details cannot be disclosed, it appears certain that his visit (to Russia) is imminent."
The parliamentary meeting was closed to media.
Speculation has mounted in recent months that Kim might visit Russia's Far East soon for talks with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. According to Russian media, Putin is scheduled to visit the region next month to attend a ground-breaking ceremony for a natural gas pipeline that will link Sakhalin with Vladivostok.
In a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Sung-hwan, in Moscow last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the North Korean leader has been invited to visit Russia "long ago" but the scheduling still needed to be coordinated.
Russia is one of the six nations involved in the long-stalled international talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear program. The North Korean leader last visited Russia in August 2002.
The National Intelligence Service reported during a parliamentary meeting earlier in the day that Kim's visit to Russia is "imminent," according to the lawmakers who attended the gathering.
"Currently, we can't tell details such as what transportation he will use along with his itinerary, " said Rep. Hwang Jin-ha of the ruling Grand National Party after the meeting. "Though details cannot be disclosed, it appears certain that his visit (to Russia) is imminent."
The parliamentary meeting was closed to media.
Speculation has mounted in recent months that Kim might visit Russia's Far East soon for talks with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. According to Russian media, Putin is scheduled to visit the region next month to attend a ground-breaking ceremony for a natural gas pipeline that will link Sakhalin with Vladivostok.
In a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Sung-hwan, in Moscow last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the North Korean leader has been invited to visit Russia "long ago" but the scheduling still needed to be coordinated.
Russia is one of the six nations involved in the long-stalled international talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear program. The North Korean leader last visited Russia in August 2002.
