Amid growing speculation on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's possible visit to Russia for a summit sometime soon,... there are more signs pointing to such a trip.<br />And the expected date of the summit? Next week.<br />Lee Ji-won has more. <br />An extra flight from Pyeongyang to the Russian city of Vladivostok has been scheduled for North Korea's Air Koryo next Tuesday. <br />The plane is to take off at 11 a.m. and arrive in Vladivostok's international airport an hour and a half later. <br />Flights from Pyeongyang to Vladivostok are normally scheduled for every Monday and Friday. <br />The extra flight schedule has been confirmed by an official at Vladivostok International Airport, but the official said they do not have the exact details of it. <br />The information is not yet up on Air Koryo's website. <br />And it's reported that when asked about the flight, airline officials are denying the extra schedule,... adding not to ask them questions.<br />This further fuels speculation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could visit Russia next week for a summit with President Vladimir Putin. <br />Neither side has officially confirmed anything about the possible meeting. <br />But earlier this month, Russia's presidential aide ( )Yuri Ushakov confirmed that an invitation has been handed over to the North and that Russia is waiting for a response from Pyeongyang. <br />In March, North Korean protocol chief Kim Chang-son spent about a week visiting Moscow and Vladivostok,... and South Korea's Foreign Affairs Ministry also confirmed that a summit between the two leaders is currently in the works. <br />Should Kim Jong-un fly over to Russia next week,... the two leaders are likely to have their the first Pyeongyang-Moscow summit in 8 years on April 24th, the day after Kim's expected arrival.<br />Putin is scheduled to fly over to Beijing for a forum on China's "One Belt One Road" initiative later that week. <br />Since last year, as North Korea has been getting more involved in talks with South Korea and the U.S., Kim Jong-un visited China four times.<br />And with the Hanoi summit collapsing without an agreement, watchers have been speculating that Kim is also likely to try to highlight the North's alliance with Russia. <br />Lee Ji-won, Arirang News. <br />
