Kim invites Putin to North Korea as he continues Russia visit

Kim Jong-Un invites Putin to DPRK, Putin accepts; two leaders agree to strengthen strategic and tactical cooperation.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to his country during their talks in Russia, state media reported on September 14, with Mr. Kim expected to continue his trip with visits to military production facilities.

Mr. Putin accepted the invitation, state news agency KCNA said, without mentioning when a visit might take place.

Mr. Kim told Mr. Putin the meeting in Russia's Far East brought bilateral ties to a new level and expressed his willingness to foster stable, future-oriented relations for the next 100 years, KCNA said.

The invitation from Mr. Kim for Mr. Putin to visit the North came at the end of a reception hosted by the Russian president after they toured the Vostochny Cosmodrome space centre and held talks on bilateral ties and boosting cooperation, KCNA said.

"At the end of the reception, Mr. Kim Jong-Un courteously invited Mr. Putin to visit the DPRK at a convenient time," KCNA said, referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's formal name.

"Mr. Putin accepted the invitation with pleasure and reaffirmed his will to invariably carry forward the history and tradition of the Russia-DPRK friendship," it said.

On September 13, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no plan for Mr. Putin to visit Pyongyang.