North Korea’s Kim Jong Un receives drones as gifts from Russia
Sep 17, 2023
Moscow [Russia], September 17 : As North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un concluded his visit to Russia on Sunday, the standout moment of his trip was when he received five explosive drones, a reconnaissance drone and a bulletproof vest as gifts from a regional governor on his Moscow visit, according to Al Jazeera.
In Vladivostok on Saturday, he met with the Russian Defence minister and viewed cutting-edge armaments, including a hypersonic missile system.
Citing Russian state news agency, TASS, Al Jazeera reported that the "leader of the DPRK received five kamikaze drones and a 'Geran-25' reconnaissance drone with vertical takeoff."
The governor of the Primorye area, which shares a border with China and North Korea, was reportedly said to have "offered Kim Jong Un a set of bulletproof protection" and "special clothing not detectable by thermal cameras."
According to state-run media in Russia, Kim left the Russian Far East on Sunday by boarding an armoured train in the city of Artyom, which lies north of the port of Vladivostok, and beginning the protracted journey home.
Kim was seen leaving in a video to the Russian and North Korean anthems, according to Al Jazeera. Notably, Kim spent six days in Russia and held headline-grabbing talks with President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny spaceport.
Notably, the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday for a closely watched summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim Jong Un's visit to Russia marks his first foreign trip since the COVID-19 pandemic as during the pandemic, North Korea's borders were sealed.
Issuing support to Moscow in the ongoing war in Ukraine, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told President Vladimir Putin that Russia will emerge victorious in the fight to “punish the evil forces”, adding that he would "always be standing with Russia”, according to CNN.
He praised Russia for having “stood up against the hegemonic forces” to defend its sovereignty and security – a veiled reference to the US and the West – and said he has expressed “the full and unconditional support to all that Russia does in response."
Kim said the Russian military and its people will inherit the “shining tradition of victory” and demonstrate their reputation on the front line of the “military operation”.
North Korea's Kim was in Russia's Far East as Putin seeks to strengthen ties in the midst of Russia's protracted conflict in Ukraine, in addition to advancing his nation's military modernisation.
Following their first face-to-face summit in four years, Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted an invitation from Kim Jong Un to visit North Korea, according to Al Jazeera.
After more than four hours of discussions and a visit to the Vostochny Cosmodrome space centre, he extended the offer to Putin at "a convenient time" at a reception to mark the end of the day.
“Putin accepted the invitation with pleasure and reaffirmed his will to invariably carry forward the history and tradition of the Russia-DPRK friendship,” Al Jazeera reported North Korean state news agency KCNA as saying on Thursday.
