A train presumably carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is en route to Russia for a speculated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to South Korean media on Monday (September 11).
Citing the country’s unidentified government sources, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that the train likely departed from the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on Sunday evening and the meeting between the two leaders is possible as early as Tuesday.
Some other media including a news agency published similar claims. However, South Korea's National Intelligence Service did not confirm the details.
According to the US officials who released intelligence last week, North Korea and Russia were planning a meeting between their respective leaders in September, reportedly to hold talks for the supply of North Korean weapons to Russia amid war with Ukraine. The Kim-Putin meeting was also speculated as their cooperation in the face of deepening confrontations with the United States.
The US officials said that Putin may focus on securing more supplies of North Korean artillery and other ammunition to refill draining reserves and further exert pressure on the West to effect negotiations amid amid concerns about a protracted conflict in Ukraine.
Kim, in exchange, could seek much-required energy and food supplies and advanced weapons tech, including the ones in connection with the intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarines, and military reconnaissance satellites, according to the analysts.
With the speculations, there is a rise of concerns that potential Russian technology transfers would shoot up the threat posed by Kim's growing arsenal of nuclear weapons and missiles and are reportedly aimed at targetting the United States, South Korea, and Japan.
(With AP inputs)
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