North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (2R) listens to Primorsky Gov. Oleg Kozhemyako (R) upon arrival at the railway station in Vladivostok on April 24, 2019. By hosting Kim, Russia has shown that it might still play a major role in North Korea's future.
With relations between the United States and North Korea still in disarray after an abrupt ending to their recent summit in Hanoi , North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is reaching out to another partner: Russia. On April 25, Kim will hold his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But one key figure who won't be accompanying the North Korean leader to the meeting in Vladivostok is Kim Yong Chol , the country's longtime lead nuclear negotiator with the United States, amid rumors that he lost his post heading the United Front Department, a major party institution. Ultimately, Kim Yong Chol's absence suggests that Pyongyang could be changing up its negotiating team. The Putin-Kim summit is finally going ahead after a series of delays, during which time North Korea's leader conducted high-profile regional trips to South Korea and elsewhere.
