고려항공, 23일 블라디보스토크행 임시편 배정 확인,... 북러 정상회담 확정?<br /><br />There have been growing signs that North Korea's Kim Jong-un and Russia's President Vladimir Putin would soon meet in Vladivostock on the sidelines of a separate forum there.<br />Now one more hint at that -- a flight apparently scheduled between the two countries.<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 /><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 />
