North Korea's ruler Kim Jong Un heads home after final stop in Russia's Vladivostok

Following a final stop in Vladivostok, in Russia’s far east, where he visited a university, an aquarium, and an animal food plant, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was on his way home, according to state media KCNA on Monday.

Kim spent two days in Vladivostok touring a variety of buildings in the military, economic, scientific, educational, and cultural sectors before saying goodbye at a send-off ceremony at the Artyom station, according to KCNA.

It concluded Kim’s unusually prolonged, seven-day visit to Russia, during which he committed to enhancing his military and business ties with President Vladimir Putin.

The visit will serve as “an opportunity to further solidify the traditional bond of good-neighbourhood cooperation between the two countries, which are rooted in comradely friendship and military unity, and to open a new chapter in the development of relations,” KCNA said.

Kim was given a tour of Far Eastern Federal University and given information on the educational programme and long-term development strategy by the university’s president before he and Putin spoke for the first time in 2019.

According to KCNA, he also interacted with North Korean students studying science and technology at the institution, learning about their daily lives and taking pictures with them.

Kim first visited the Arnika Bio-Feed Mill and then attended a banquet organised by Alexandr Kozlov, Russia’s minister of natural resources and ecology, where she saw white dolphins and other sea animals perform “acrobatic feats.”

Kim’s travel to Vladivostok on Monday was also covered by North Korea’s official radio, “Voice of Korea,” which stated that it “opened a new period of rapid development and strengthening” of bilateral relations and that Kim was in Vladivostok as part of the visit and he thanked Putin and other Russian officials for their hospitality.

As Russia pursues its invasion of Ukraine and North Korea rushes to enhance its nuclear programmes, the unusual summit between Kim and Putin has caused the United States and South Korea to issue warnings against any weapons sales and other military collaboration.

Moscow may be looking to buy ammunition from the North to supplement its decreasing supplies, while Pyongyang receives technological support for its spy satellite and missile projects, according to officials in Washington and Seoul.

Kim examined nuclear-capable strategic bombers, hypersonic missiles, warships, and a Russian fighter aircraft plant that is subject to Western sanctions last week, despite Putin’s assurances that Moscow wouldn’t “violate anything.”

(With agency inputs)