Putin to visit North Korea

Putin is reportedly planning a visit in July

By Caroline Gluck in Seoul

Russian president Vladimir Putin will visit Pyongyang soon at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

The visit would be the first by a Russian head of state, Soviet and post-Soviet, to North Korea.

It is expected to take place in July this year, when Mr Putin travels to Okinawa, Japan, for the summit of the Group of Eight industrialised countries.

The visit marks a recent warming of ties between the two nations which had cooled noticeably since the disintegration of the former Soviet Union.

Warmer relations

The Soviet Union once provided substantial military, technical and scientific help to the Stalinist North, but much of the aid dried up.

Russia once supplied military and technical aid to North Korea

Relations between the two countries further soured when Russia established diplomatic ties with rival South Korea 10 years ago.

But in February this year, the Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov visited Pyongyang - the first such visit in a decade - and signed a new treaty of friendship and co-operation.

That was followed by a reciprocal visit to Moscow by North Korea's foreign minister, Paek Nam-sun.

Analysts say that Russia is keen to re-establish close ties with its former ally, partly to counter the closer links developing between China and North Korea.

Both Moscow and Beijing regard the Korean peninsula as strategically important for exerting influence in the north-east Asian region.

Mr Putin, who is also expected to visit Seoul later this year, is likely to discuss military issues during his meeting with Kim Jong-il.

Russia opposes American plans to alter the anti-ballistic missile treaty and build a national anti-missile shield against rogue states.