As speculation arises about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s impending visit to North Korea, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification noted on June 17 that it’s rare for North Korea to announce the schedule of summit meetings with significant countries in advance.
Spokesperson Koo Byung Sam of the Ministry of Unification said at the June 17 press briefing, “It’s very rare for North Korea to publicly reveal the detailed schedule of summit meetings with important countries such as China and Russia in advance.” Kim Jong Un has been in power since his father’s death, and the only instance of a schedule being announced in advance was when the schedule of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to North Korea was announced by both countries three days prior in June 2019.
When Kim visited Russia in September 2023, the two countries did not reveal a specific schedule until the day after his departure and only announced that “he will visit soon.”
Koo added, “Because past instances are so rare, it’s hard to generalize. We need to wait and see when and how the parties involved will announce it.” Regarding the topics that the North Korean and Russian leaders will discuss, he said, “It’s not appropriate for me to explain at the level of the Ministry of Unification at this time,” and “We will monitor future related trends together with related agencies.”
On June 13, a high-ranking official from the presidential office announced, “Putin will visit North Korea in a few days.” The diplomatic community predicts Putin’s visit will be between June 18 and 19.
