Kim Joun Un to make his first trip out of North Korea since assuming power

[pampango]

Kim Jong Un Reportedly Due to Visit Moscow

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has accepted an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend a May ceremony marking 70 years since the Soviet victory in World War II, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday.

The agency, citing a South Korean diplomatic source, said the reclusive nation had given a "positive response" to the invitation, which could see Kim visit Moscow in his first foreign trip since he became leader in 2011.

Russia has strengthened its diplomatic and economic ties with North Korea in recent months, forgiving $10 billion of North Korea's Soviet-era debt and holding talks to ease visa requirements between the two countries, amid reports that North Korea's relations with its principal ally, China, have cooled.

Putin, who has been seeking to facilitate the construction of a natural gas pipeline from Russia to South Korea via North Korea, invited Kim to attend the May 9 Victory Day ceremony during a meeting in November with Kim's personal envoy in Russia, Yonhap reported.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/kim-jong-un-reportedly-due-to-visit-moscow/514304.html

Pipeline diplomacy?

[potone]

1. Maybe Putin will keep him there.

Well, a girl can dream...