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DPRK Defense Chief Arrives in Moscow for Military ooperation
A military delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), led by Kim Il Chol, Minister of People's Armed Forces, arrived in Moscow on Thursday to seek more military cooperation with Russia.
According to the official Itar-Tass news agency, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Kim Il Chol will discuss prospects for boosting bilateral military and military- technological cooperation on Friday.
Tass quoted sources from the Russian Defense Ministry as saying that the ministers will also discuss important issues of regional and international security, as well as the military-political situation in the Asia-Pacific region.
The military-technical cooperation between Russia and DPRK has been reduced to a minimum level over the past years. Moscow and Pyongyang still held expert consultations to discuss proposals on supplying conventional weapons and spare parts for military hardware, as well as issues of servicemen training.
Russian experts say that up to 80 percent of DPRK aviation fleet is of Soviet and Russian make. Most of the fighter jets of the country's air force are in need of modernization. About 95 percent of DPRK ground-force equipment and 100 percent of its anti- aircraft equipment are made in the Soviet Union.
Kim's trip is the first visit to Moscow by a DPRK defense chief since the USSR disintegrated in December 1991. During the visit, which will last till Saturday, Kim Il Chol will also meet Russian Vice-Premier Ilya Klebanov who is in charge of the Russian military-industrial complex.
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