(Corrects location of meeting in paragraph two)
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to his country during their talks in Russia on Wednesday, Pyongyang’s state media KCNA reported on Thursday, adding Putin accepted the invitation.
Kim told Putin the meeting in Russia’s Far East brought bilateral ties to a new level, and expressed his willingness to foster stable, future-oriented relations for the next 100 years, KCNA said.
Both sides agreed to further strengthen strategic and tactical cooperation in the face of the “military threats, provocations and tyranny of imperialists,” it said.
Kim was briefed on technical details about Russian space vehicles during his visit to a cosmodrome, but there was no mention of any arms supplies, trade of weapons or technical assistance over weapons programmes.
U.S. and South Korean officials have expressed concern that Kim could provide weapons and ammunition to Russia, which has expended vast stocks in more than 18 months of war in Ukraine. Moscow and Pyongyang have denied such intentions.
On Wednesday, Putin gave numerous hints that military cooperation was discussed but disclosed few details. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu attended the talks. The Kremlin said sensitive discussions between neighbours were a private matter.
(This story has been corrected to change the location of the meeting from Moscow to Russia’s Far East in paragraph 2)
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Kim Coghill and Lincoln Feast)
