Putin, Kim Conclude Talks In Vladivostok, Summit Lasted For 3.5 Hours

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have concluded their first summit in Vladivostok that lasted 3.5 hours, nearly two of which they spent talking tete-a-tete

VLADIVOSTOK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th April, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have concluded their first summit in Vladivostok that lasted 3.5 hours, nearly two of which they spent talking tete-a-tete.

Putin and Kim met on Thursday for the first time at the Far Eastern Federal University on the Russky island in Vladivostok. This is not only their first summit and Kim's first visit to Russia since he came to power in 2011, but also the North Korean leader's first overseas trip since his reelection as the chairman of the State Affairs Commission earlier in April.

The details of Kim's visit to Russia were kept secret until the very last moment due to security concerns.

Only on Tuesday, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov confirmed that Putin would meet with Kim in Vladivostok on April 25.

The previous Russia-North Korea summit took place in 2011, when the father of North Korea's current leader, Kim Jong Il, met with then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2011 in Ulan-Ude. Putin traveled to North Korea in 2000, marking the first high-level visit in the history of bilateral relations. A year later he met with Kim Jong Il in Moscow, and in 2002 they held another round of talks in Vladivostok.