Personal train of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un travels to Russia

Pyongyang and Moscow confirmed Monday that North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un would shortly visit Russia at the invitation of the country’s president, Vladimir Putin. Kim was already on a Russia-bound train Monday afternoon, according to South Korean media reports. However, the exact date of the visit or whether a meeting with Putin is planned has not yet been confirmed.

Why is he visiting Russia? U.S. officials say Russia is seeking weapons for its war in Ukraine in exchange for military technology and aid shipments to North Korea. The potential arms deal would violate UN sanctions against North Korea. Last week, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned that North Korea would “pay a price” in the international community for providing weapons to Russia, although he did not elaborate on potential repercussions.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Angela Lu Fulton’s report on disintegrating human rights in North Korea.