A Russian railway official told NHK that the special train carrying North Korean General Secretary Kim Jong-un had already entered the Amur Region in the Far East, where the Bostochny Cosmodrome is located, as of around 13:10 a.m. on the <>th, Japan time.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that he will visit this space station after attending an international economic conference in Vladivostok in the Far East, and there is a growing view that a summit meeting will be held here.

Russian state media reports on Kim's arrival

Russian state media released footage of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arriving at Khasan Station in Russia's Far East along the border with North Korea on the 12th.

The footage shows Kim in a black suit getting off the train with Foreign Minister Choi Sun-hee and Ri Byung-chul, secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, who is said to have played a central role in nuclear and missile development, before being welcomed by Russian officials.

You can also see Kim Chang-sung, who is also known as General Secretary Kim's "butler" and was responsible for preparations for the first-ever US-North Korea summit meeting in 2018.

Meanwhile, Russian state media said he was not accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol-ju, his daughter, and his sister Kim Yeo Jong.

A red carpet was laid on the platform of Hasan Station to create a friendly mood with a welcome ceremony, and General Secretary Kim exchanged words with a smile, such as "It's the first reunion in four years" and "Thank you" based on the previous visit in 2019.

He was also seen sitting in a chair at the station and talking with Russia's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Kozlov, who greeted General Secretary Kim.

The private train carrying Kim has since traveled north along the railway lines of Russia's Primorsky Krai, raising interest in the location of the summit with President Putin.

What is the Vostochny Cosmodrome

The Vostochny Cosmodrome, which means "east" in Russian, is located in the Amur Oblast in the Far East, about 1000 kilometers from Vladivostok and a little more than 5000 kilometers from Moscow.

The Putin administration, which regards space development as one of the important national projects, has been building it as a new space development base to replace the Baikonur Cosmodrome in neighboring Kazakhstan, and in 1, the first rocket was launched with a satellite.

The base also launched satellites from countries other than Russia, as well as microsatellites developed by Japan ventures in 2016 and 2017.

Last month, the first unmanned lunar probe "Luna 18" was launched in about half a century since the former Soviet Union.

The development of the Vostochny Cosmodrome is continuing, and construction of a new launch pad is underway with the aim of launching a new rocket that can carry manned spacecraft and large military satellites.

Meanwhile, in April last year, President Lukashenko of Belarus, which is allied with Russia, visited and held a summit meeting with President Putin.