Putin expected to visit North Korea this week: South Korean media

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hosted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Moscow last September, is expected to visit Pyongyang this week, Yonhap news reported on Monday.

Speculations run high that Putin could make a two-day trip to the state starting Tuesday, the South Korean news agency said. Moscow and Pyongyang, however, have yet to confirm the visit.

If realized, it will mark Putin's first visit to Pyongyang in 24 years. Putin last visited the North Korean capital in 2000 to meet Kim Jong Il, father of Kim Jong-un.

The visit could coincide with a "two plus two meeting of senior Chinese and South Korean foreign and defense officials in Seoul.

Russia and North Korea have strengthened ties in recent months. The US and its allies accuse Pyongyang of supplying weapons to Moscow for its war effort against Ukraine.