N.K. leader has yet to cross border into Russia

(ATTN: UPDATES with quotes by Hassan train official) MOSCOW, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has yet to cross the border into Russia to visit the country as of 9 a.m. Saturday (Vladivostok time), a Russian train official said amid reports that the trip may begin later in the day. "A special train carrying Chairman Kim has yet to arrive here as of now," an official working at Hassan Station, the first Russian train station where Kim's train is supposed to pass after crossing the border. "But we are waiting for the arrival after being informed that his special train is sure to cross the border today." Kim may begin his Russian visit later in the day and is expected to hold summit talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in a Siberian city on Tuesday, an informed source here said. Japan's Kyodo News also reported, quoting unnamed Russian government officials, the trip will begin later in the day. The Kim-Medvedev summit will take place at a military facility in Ulan Ude, said the source, noting an advance team from the Kremlin has already arrived in the third-largest city in eastern Siberia. The commander of the military unit has recently visited North Korea to prepare for the summit, the source added. The Russian daily Izvestia also reported Friday, quoting an official of the country's presidential office, that the leaders of North Korea and Russia will meet in Ulan Ude next week. Ulan Ude is the capital city of the Buryat Republic, Russia, located about 100 kilometers southeast of Lake Baikal, with a population of about 400,000. Major industries there are metals and machinery.