ID :
191491
Tue, 06/28/2011 - 10:32
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/191491
The shortlink copeid
Seoul closely watching possible Russian visit by N. Korean leader
(ATTN: UPDATES with South Korean foreign ministry's comments in first four paras, details in final three paras; CHANGES headline; AMENDS dateline)
SEOUL/TOKYO/YANJI, China, June 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign ministry said Tuesday it was closely watching a possible visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to Russia amid foreign news reports that Kim may travel to Russia's Far East for summit talks with President Dmitry Medvedev.
"We are closely watching the situation with various possibilities in mind," Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae told reporters, commenting on a report by Japan's Mainichi Shimbun that the North's leader is expected to visit Russia this week.
However, Cho said the ministry had no information on the possibility of Kim's visit to Russia.
Earlier in the day, the Japanese daily reported that North Korea and Russia are in final consultations to hold the summit in Vladivostok on Friday. It quoted multiple intelligence sources in Moscow.
The trip, if realized, would be Kim's first visit to the Cold War ally since 2002. The Pyongyang-Moscow ties have apparently withered as Russia has improved relations with South Korea and other western nations.
Through the upcoming summit talks, Russia hopes to bolster ties with North Korea in the interest of regional security, and the North wants economic assistance, according to the newspaper.
Kim, known to dislike air travel due to security concerns, is expected to cross the border aboard his special train early Friday morning, it said.
South Korea's top diplomat said earlier he had no information on the possibility of Kim's first overseas visit since his May trip to China.
"These days, Japanese media reports have the tendency of not being accurate," Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said Friday during his trip to Washington, when asked whether Kim will travel to Russia anytime soon.
If Kim, known to shun air travel, visits Russia's Far East, he would cross the Tumen River aboard his special train and into Hasan in Russia, residents in Yanji of China said. North Korea and Russia share a border on the Pacific coast.
"If Kim travels to Russia's Far East, there would be no need to go through China to reach there," a resident said. "The most possible route would be a railway linking Tumen and Hasan."
Still, no particular signs related to a possible visit by Kim to Russia have been detected. Security was normal around the North's border regions with China and Russia and on the bridge over the Tumen river.
SEOUL/TOKYO/YANJI, China, June 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign ministry said Tuesday it was closely watching a possible visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to Russia amid foreign news reports that Kim may travel to Russia's Far East for summit talks with President Dmitry Medvedev.
"We are closely watching the situation with various possibilities in mind," Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae told reporters, commenting on a report by Japan's Mainichi Shimbun that the North's leader is expected to visit Russia this week.
However, Cho said the ministry had no information on the possibility of Kim's visit to Russia.
Earlier in the day, the Japanese daily reported that North Korea and Russia are in final consultations to hold the summit in Vladivostok on Friday. It quoted multiple intelligence sources in Moscow.
The trip, if realized, would be Kim's first visit to the Cold War ally since 2002. The Pyongyang-Moscow ties have apparently withered as Russia has improved relations with South Korea and other western nations.
Through the upcoming summit talks, Russia hopes to bolster ties with North Korea in the interest of regional security, and the North wants economic assistance, according to the newspaper.
Kim, known to dislike air travel due to security concerns, is expected to cross the border aboard his special train early Friday morning, it said.
South Korea's top diplomat said earlier he had no information on the possibility of Kim's first overseas visit since his May trip to China.
"These days, Japanese media reports have the tendency of not being accurate," Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said Friday during his trip to Washington, when asked whether Kim will travel to Russia anytime soon.
If Kim, known to shun air travel, visits Russia's Far East, he would cross the Tumen River aboard his special train and into Hasan in Russia, residents in Yanji of China said. North Korea and Russia share a border on the Pacific coast.
"If Kim travels to Russia's Far East, there would be no need to go through China to reach there," a resident said. "The most possible route would be a railway linking Tumen and Hasan."
Still, no particular signs related to a possible visit by Kim to Russia have been detected. Security was normal around the North's border regions with China and Russia and on the bridge over the Tumen river.
