Kremlin: North Korean leader arrives in Russia

MOSCOW, Russia — The Kremlin has confirmed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has arrived in Russia and will meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during his trip.

It is Kim’s first trip to Russia since 2002 and is the latest sign North Korea is trying to reach out in an effort to secure aid and restart stalled disarmament talks.

The Kremlin says Kim arrived Saturday and will visit the Far East of Russia and Siberia.

Kim’s train arrived in the border city of Khasan, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official said, citing a South Korean government source in the area. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter involved intelligence. A second South Korean ministry official also said that Kim’s train had crossed the border, citing the same information.

Yonhap News agency and YTN television also reported the arrival of the train, quoting South Korean government officials they did not identify.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday that Kim would “be unofficially visiting Russia’s Siberian and Far East regions” at Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s invitation.

It said the “highest leaders of the two countries would be meeting during the visit.”

Tracking the secretive Kim’s movements is difficult and it was not immediately clear whether he was on the train, but the news of a possible visit comes three months after Kim visited China.

Speculation of a trip to Russia emerged Friday after a South Korean lawmaker’s aide said Seoul’s spy agency saw signs that Kim was preparing to travel to Russia.

North Korea’s state news agency was silent on any possible visit by Kim.

North Korea said last week that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent a letter calling for greater energy cooperation among Russia and the two Koreas, saying it would enhance regional security.

Kim traveled to China in May for the third visit to his country’s closest ally in just over a year. Many saw that as an attempt to secure aid, investment and support for his dynastic transfer of power to his third son, Kim Jong Un.

In Moscow, the Kremlin said Friday that it had no comment on a possible Kim visit.

Russia and North Korea maintain cordial ties, though they are not as close as they were in the days before the collapse of the Soviet Union, which had provided significant aid and support to Pyongyang.

Moscow is a member of six-nation talks aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear programs in exchange for aid and security guarantees.

Separately, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced Friday that the country has decided to provide North Korea with 50,000 metric tons of grain as humanitarian assistance and that the first shipment arrived Friday.

North Korea’s state news agency also reported that provision, and said that additional food valued at $5 million and donated by Russia via the World Food Program “is also being provided.”