North Korea’s Kim Jong Un inspects Russian bombers and a warship on a visit to Russia’s Far East

By KIM TONG-HYUNG and HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inspected Russia’s nuclear-capable bombers, hypersonic missiles and an advanced warship on a trip to Russia’s Far East that has sparked concerns about an arms alliance that could fuel President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine. After arriving in the city of Artyom by train, Kim traveled to an airport just outside Vladivostok where Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other senior military officials gave him an up-close look at Russia’s strategic bombers and other warplanes. Later in Vladivostok, Kim was shown a missile frigate of the Russian Pacific fleet. Kim’s visits to military and technology sites possibly hint at what he wants from Russia, perhaps in exchange for supplying munitions to refill Putin’s declining reserves.