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North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, has had a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This meeting has attracted significant attention, with concerns from the West that it could lead to an arms agreement supporting Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Following initial discussions and a visit to an eastern Russian spaceport, a state dinner in honour of Kim has now commenced.
<h3>China factor</h3>
According to Fyodor Tertitskiy, an expert on North Korean military and politics, China plays a crucial role in restraining a potential arms deal between Moscow and Pyongyang. The expert suggests that Putin seeks access to North Korean ammunition stockpiles to support Russia’s war in Ukraine. The expert highlights that both leaders have their own interests to pursue and face domestic pressures. However, any agreement between Russia and North Korea would be influenced by China, their largest trading partner and political patron. The expert emphasises that the relationship between Russia and North Korea is characterised by deception and rhetoric, with Moscow supporting China’s approach to Pyongyang. 
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<h3>Reports about Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin meeting:</h3>
– Putin hints at assistance: Putin showed a willingness to help North Korea develop its space program during a tour of the Vostochny space launch site. He indicated that Russia came to support North Korea in launching its own satellites and rockets.
– Kim praises Russia: Initial talks focused on economic cooperation, humanitarian issues, and regional situations. Kim praised Russia for defending its sovereignty and security against hegemonic forces, likely referring to the US and the West.
– US arms warning: The US government warned of active arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea, raising concerns about the potential violation of UN sanctions and North Korea’s nuclear-capable ballistic missile program.
– Deepening ties: Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton highlighted the significance of the meeting, extending beyond potential arms deals. He emphasized the importance for North Korea to establish significant contact with Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
– North Korea fires missiles: Prior to the summit, North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles, possibly as a demonstration of military readiness. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff considered it a provocative act.
– No signing of documents: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that there are no plans for Putin and Kim to sign documents during their meeting at the Russian Space Centre. The leaders held closed-door talks for over an hour at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Far East region. Peskov stated that Russia is open to cooperating with North Korea in sensitive areas, including military interaction.
– Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a cosmodrome in far eastern Russia. Putin mentioned prospects for military-technical cooperation and bilateral cooperation in space and agriculture.
– Talks between Kim and Putin concluded after approximately four to five hours, with reports of a toast to their friendship and close ties. Kim expressed confidence in the Russian army and people’s ability to triumph against “evil.”
– Sanctions on North Korea: Russia’s position on UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea will not hinder the development of relations between Moscow and Pyongyang. Russia initially supported stringent sanctions against North Korea in 2017 but has since expressed concerns about their humanitarian impact. They advocate for a more balanced approach.
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h3>
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Kim Jong Un's Meeting With Putin Raises Concerns Of An Arms Agreement Amid Russia-Ukraine War

North Korea says it test-fired its biggest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the orders of leader Kim Jong Un to boost its defences and prepare for a “long confrontation” with the United States, state media reported on Friday.
Kim, dressed in a black leather jacket and sunglasses, oversaw the Thursday launch of what was described as a “new-type” of ICBM, the Hwasong-17.
The <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/24/north-korea-launches-suspected-icbm-in-first-such-test-since-2017">first full ICBM test</a> by nuclear-armed North Korea since 2017 drew swift condemnation from South Korea and Japan, as well as the US. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres condemned the launch as a “clear violation” of Security Council resolutions.
Watch the footage shown on North Korean state TV as it announced the launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile
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According to state media, the weapon was launched from Pyongyang International Airport, travelled up to a maximum altitude of 6 248 km (3 880 miles) and flew a distance of 1 090 km (680 miles) during a 67-minute flight before falling into the Sea of Japan.
Kim ordered the test because of the “daily-escalating military tension in and around the Korean peninsula” and the “inevitability of the long-standing confrontation with the US imperialists accompanied by the danger of a nuclear war,” the official news agency for North Korea, KCNA, reported. Kim said:
<blockquote>
The emergence of the new strategic weapon of the DPRK would make the whole world clearly aware of the power of our strategic armed forces once again.
Any forces should be made to be well aware of the fact that they will have to pay a very dear price before daring to attempt to infringe upon the security of our country.
</blockquote>
North Korea has carried out nearly a dozen missile tests since the start of the year that analysts say are aimed at forcing the US to accept North Korea as a nuclear power and remove the international sanctions that had crippled the economy even before Pyongyang sealed its borders because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Kim Jong-ha, a security analyst at Hannam University in South Korea, predicts that the latest development will further strain relations with the U.S. and South Korea. 
The latest launch comes when Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea’s newly-elected conservative president who has promised a more robust policy towards Pyongyang, is due to take office in May, while the attention of the US, the South’s key ally, is focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The UN Security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting on the test on Friday, but condemnation or new sanctions could be hard to achieve amid divisions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s veto.
More: <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/25/north-korea-confirms-icbm-test-warns-of-long-us-confrontation">Al Jazeera</a>

WATCH: North Korea Launches New Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

A South Korean has crossed the heavily fortified border in a rare defection to North Korea, South Korea’s military said on Sunday.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it carried out a search operation after detecting the person around 9:20 p.m. (1220 GMT) on Saturday on the eastern side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. The JCS said: 
<blockquote>
 We’ve confirmed that the person crossed the Military Demarcation Line border about 10:40 p.m. (1340 GMT) and defected to the North.
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The JCS said it could not confirm whether the person was alive, but sent a notice to the North via a military hotline asking for protection.
The border crossing, which is illegal in South Korea, came as North Korea carries out strict anti-coronavirus measures since shutting borders in early 2020, though it has not confirmed any infections.
A public and political uproar emerged after North Korean troops shot dead a South Korean fisheries official who went missing at sea in September 2020, for which Pyongyang blamed anti-virus rules and apologised.
Two months earlier, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared a national emergency and sealed off a border town after a North Korean defector who he said had COVID-19 symptoms illegally crossed the border into the North from the South.
The North’s prolonged lockdowns and restrictions on inter-provincial movement have also pushed the number of North Korean defectors arriving in the South to an all-time low.
Cross-border relations soured after denuclearisation negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington stalled since a failed summit in 2019.
South Korea and a U.S.-led U.N. force are technically still at war with North Korea since the 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty. 
More: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korean-crosses-armed-border-rare-defection-north-2022-01-02/">Reuters</a>

South Korean Cross Heavily Fortified Border In Rare Defection To North Korea

North Korean media has reported that the country’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un has appeared in public for the first time in 20 days following reports that he was ill.
KCNA news agency reported that the North Korean leader cut the ribbon at the opening of a fertiliser factory, with pictures accompanying the event.
However, the latest reports from North Korean media could not be independently confirmed.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim was accompanied by several senior North Korean officials, including his sister Kim Yo-jong.
Speculation about Mr Kim’s health began after he missed the birth anniversary celebrations of his grandfather, state founder Kim Il-sung on 15 April.
It was the first time that Kim missed the event since he succeeded his late father Kim Jong-il.
This was not the first time that Kim has disappeared from the public. In September 2014, he went missing for 40 days after attending a concert. He reappeared in mid-October, using a walking stick.
In the final analysis, it is not known where the secretive leader was hibernating in the past 20 days.
He could have been ill, or he could have had some sort of surgical procedure in the last two weeks. Or he could have been lounging on a yacht near his villa in Wonsan.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52508437" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BBC News</a></h4>

Kim Jong-un Resurfaces Amid Rumours Of Ill Health - REPORT

North Korea’s leader 36-year-old Kim Jong-Un is rumoured to be dead after a botched heart surgery, New York Post reports.
This was after HKSTV vice-director claimed that the dictator is dead citing a very solid source. According to the publication, the North Korean leader had been in a vegetable state after undergoing a heart surgery earlier this month.
The publication further claims that senior party sources based in Beijing said an operation to insert a stent into Jong-Un’s heart went wrong because the surgeon’s hands were shaking so badly.
Nothing has been confirmed yet, we will update this article if new details emerge.
More: <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/04/25/north-korean-dictator-kim-jong-un-rumored-to-be-dead/">New York Post </a>

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