Russian Official: DPRK Leader to Visit Russia Beginning ThursdayDPRK leader Kim Jong Il is expected to arrive in the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok on Thursday, kicking off his long-anticipated first trip to Russia, a customs service spokeswoman said in Vladivostok.Irina Bobrikova, a spokeswoman for the Far East branch of the Russian customs service, said Wednesday that Kim was scheduled to arrive at the Matveyevsky checkpoint for customs clearance Thursday morning. The ITAR-Tass news agency, citing "a high-ranking source in Moscow," reported that Kim's visit would begin Sunday. The Russian Foreign Ministry, Russian President Vladimir Putin's press office and the DPRK Embassy in Moscow said they had no information on such a trip. Kim is expected to ride the Trans-Siberian railway to Moscow, where he is scheduled to arrive on Aug. 4 for a two-day visit, ITAR-Tass said. Putin invited Kim to Russia during his visit last year to Pyongyang, capital of DPRK, and Russian officials said that Kim had accepted the invitation. |
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