Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea on June 18-19, the Kremlin said on Monday, an extremely rare trip that underscores Moscow's burgeoning partnership with the reclusive nuclear-armed state.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un extended an invite to Putin during a visit to Russia's Far East last September. Putin has not visited Pyongyang since July 2000.
"At the invitation of the Chairman of State Affairs of the DPRK, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin will pay a friendly state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on June 18-19," the Kremlin said.
After North Korea, Putin will visit Vietnam on June 19-20, the Kremlin said.