After his visit to Russia, which shocked the West, Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, received some parting gifts from Russia in the form of drones and body armor.
After a rare visit lasting for six days, during which he met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, he was offered a tearful goodbye, which sparked worries that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may have been assisted by weaponry provided by North Korea.
Kim, who only seldom travels outside of Asia, was given a hero’s welcome and spent the most of his time visiting military sites. Kim rarely travels outside of Asia. North Korea is in need of food, oil, and even military equipment as a result of the heavy restrictions that have been placed on the country.
According to official Russian news agency TASS, the governor of the far eastern Russian state of Primorye reportedly presented him with a bulletproof jacket and a pair of drones as he was leaving office.
“This is a body armor with protection zones for the chest, shoulders, throat, and groin, and it is much lighter than its known analogs,” the state news agency said.
According to TASS, Kim was also presented with a surveillance drone of the aircraft-type Geranium-25 and five kamikaze drones. Both of these types of drones were made in the same site. They were also presented with a suit of clothing that was resistant to thermal cameras as an additional element of surprise.
After a farewell ceremony that included a red carpet and honor guards, Russian official news agency RIA Novosti posted video of Kim boarding his own armored train from the Artyom railway station.
According to RIA, the distance between Artyom and the town of Khasan, which is located on the border, is more than 124 miles (about 200 kilometers).
Mission having a significant focus on military affairs
At the Vostochny Cosmodrom spaceport in Russia’s Far East, Kim and Putin had a meeting that lasted for a full five hours on Wednesday. Putin said that Kim shown a “great interest” in the subject matter, which is significant given that North Korea places a high priority on developing its space program.
Following the conclusion of their meeting, Kim said to Putin, “I will always be standing with Russia.” Putin described their conversations as “very substantive.”
The tone for the meeting was established by a warning issued by the US administration earlier this month stating that conversations between the two countries over weapons were “actively advancing.” There has been no information released to the public on any agreements.
According to the official news agency of North Korea, KCNA, Kim Jong-un was said to have been “deeply impressed” by Russia’s aircraft manufacturing industry when he visited the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Yuri Gagarin Aviation Plant on Friday. The plant is located in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Kim saw a great number of facilities, including several that manufactured the wings and fuselages of fighter aircraft.
On Saturday, Putin accompanied Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on an inspection tour of Russian military aircraft, toured an airfield, and visited a warship from the Pacific Fleet.
KCNA cites reports that Kim and Shoigu addressed military cooperation “between the armed forces of the two countries and in the fields of their national defense and security” during their meeting.
Concern has been voiced about the visit by a number of nations throughout Asia and Europe, including South Korea and Japan, as well as the United States and Ukraine; however, it is not yet apparent what influence the visit will have in the long run.