Putin Could Visit South Korea This Year

Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely visit South Korea this year following his trip to Pyongyang scheduled for June 19. Putin announced his wish "to visit the two neighbors on the Korean peninsula" at a meeting with the head of South Korea's constitutional court, Kim Yong-joon, at the Kremlin on June 20.

Kim Yong-joon, who is visiting Russia on the invitation of Russia's constitutional court, says that Putin talked on the phone with South Korean President Kim Dae-jung on June 19, delivering a commemorative message on the success of the inter-Korean summit. According to Lee, the Russian president showed an interest in easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Lee Joung-binn, the South Korean minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is slated to visit Russia beginning June 28; he will meet with his Russian counterpart, Igor Sergeyevich, and will likely discuss the details of Putin's South Korean visit.

by Kim Sok-hwan