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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin upon his arrival at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on Sept. 13. (KCNA/Yonhap)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted Kim Jong-un’s invitation to visit North Korea, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

“While interacting one-on-one, Kim Jong-un invited Putin to visit North Korea. Putin accepted the invitation with gratitude,” said Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov later that day.

North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency also reported Thursday that Putin had gladly accepted the invitation.

“At the end of the reception [following the summit], Kim Jong-un courteously invited Putin to visit the DPRK at a convenient time. Putin accepted the invitation with pleasure,” the agency said.

Putin gifted Kim with a Russian-made rifle, and the president also received a rifle of North Korean make. Putin also presented Kim with a pair of spacesuit gloves that “had been in space several times,” Peskov said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin around the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on Sept. 13. (KCNA/Yonhap)

By Jang Ye-ji, staff reporter

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