hankyoreh

with reporters at the Russian Embassy in central Seoul

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is planning to attend a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II, which will be taking place in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, a Russian diplomat officially confirmed.

During a meeting with South Korean reporters at the Russian Embassy in central Seoul on Apr. 23, Russian Ambassador Alexander Timonin said, “We are expecting the leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to visit Moscow. Along with attending the memorial event, Kim Jong-un may also meet with President Vladimir Putin.”

The previous day, Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s aide in charge of foreign affairs, had said he received confirmation in a meeting with several North Korean officials that Kim Jong-un would be coming to Moscow, a report that Timonin’s remarks confirm.

If Kim meets Putin in Moscow, it would be his first trip overseas as well as his first summit with a foreign leader since succeeding his father. With the leaders of 25 countries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, planning to attend the event, there is growing interest in the possibility of a summit between Kim and Xi.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has said that she will be sending Saenuri Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun as an envoy to attend the event in her place.

On Thursday, Timonin expressed a strong commitment to cooperation among North Korea, South Korea, and Russia. “Russia is currently discussing a number of ways to participate in the Kaesong Industrial Complex. One of those would be food production involving Russians of Korean descent,” the ambassador said.

Citing projects including Rajin-Hasan, a railroad linking the Korean peninsula and Siberia, and a gas pipeline, Timonin added that “including North Korea in these projects would be a way to increase trust and calm tensions in the region.”

When asked about the South Korean government’s refusal to accept Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula after last year’s crisis in Ukraine, Timonin said that Russsia “respects the position of South Korea as a sovereign state.”

“I hope that that position does not affect relations between the two countries,” Timonin said.

Timonin also made clear Russia’s opposition to the idea of deploying THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) on the Korean Peninsula. “Since THAAD is part of the US’s global missile defense system, Russia is opposed to deployment in neighboring areas. When making this kind of decision, it is necessary to take into account the negative effect this can have on the political situation in the region,” he said.

“There is a very big difference between North and South Korea. However, I’m not saying that there is an insurmountable wall,” Timonin said. Before coming to Seoul, he had been in Pyongyang as Russia’s ambassador to North Korea.

By Kim Oi-hyun and Park Young-rule, staff reporters

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]