Meeting After 4 Years and 5 Months... "Will Have Broad Discussions"
Meeting at a Mega Space Base Comparable to the Area of Seoul City
On the 13th, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia. [Image source=Kremlin Palace]
Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia. President Putin expressed his intention to directly assist North Korea in developing satellites and stated that the reason for holding this meeting at the spaceport was related to this, suggesting the possibility of transferring Russia's core rocket technology to North Korea.
The Vostochny Cosmodrome, where the two leaders met, is an advanced spaceport built by Russia in 2012. It is known to be located in an area that housed a nuclear missile base during the former Soviet era. Since a successful rocket launch in 2016, most of Russia's lunar exploration projects have reportedly been conducted from this site.
Kim Jong-un and Putin Tour the Spaceport... "Thank you for the invitation despite your busy schedule"
On the 13th, North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin toured the Vostochny Cosmodrome together with their entourages. [Image source=Kremlin Palace]
According to Russia's TASS news agency on the 13th, Kim Jong-un and President Putin met at around 1 p.m. at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast, Russia. President Putin welcomed Chairman Kim, saying, "I extend greetings to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two countries. We will assist North Korea in developing satellites," and added, "The reason for choosing the spaceport as the venue for this meeting is precisely this."
President Putin stated, "We will broadly discuss all topics, including military technology cooperation." The details of the meeting between the two leaders, their second encounter in four years and five months, are expected not to be disclosed separately.
Chairman Kim responded, "I am grateful for President Putin's invitation despite his busy schedule." Before the meeting, the two leaders toured the spaceport, visiting key facilities together and receiving explanations about Russian space technology and the characteristics of rockets, according to TASS.
Chairman Kim, along with his delegation, reportedly asked many questions and exchanged opinions regarding core technologies of Russia's Soyuz-2 and Angara rockets. TASS reported that Kim took notes directly in a notebook while listening to explanations from Yuri Borisov, head of the Russian space corporation Roscosmos, and other technical staff who guided the spaceport tour.
Vostochny, 100 Times Larger than Naro Space Center... Established Near Former Nuclear Missile Base
On August 11th, Russia's Luna-25 lunar probe was launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia. [Image source=Reuters·Yonhap News]
The Vostochny Cosmodrome, where Kim Jong-un and President Putin met, was newly established by Russia in 2012. The site covers more than 550 square kilometers, roughly the size of Seoul, making it a massive spaceport. It is over 110 times larger than the approximately 5 square kilometer Naro Space Center. Since 2016, most of Russia's space launch vehicles have been launched from here.
Located deep inland in the Chyolkovsky area of Amur Oblast in the Russian Far East, this site is near Svobodny, where a nuclear missile base was once situated. Alongside the large spaceport, a residential area capable of housing about 25,000 residents has been established. In August, Russia's lunar probe Luna-25 was also launched from here.
During the Soviet era, the largest Russian spaceport was the Baikonur Cosmodrome. However, after the Soviet Union's collapse, Baikonur became part of Kazakhstan's territory, and Russia had to lease the facility. This situation necessitated the construction of a separate spaceport, leading to the establishment of Vostochny. In the future, various new rocket developments and satellite and rocket launches for building a manned lunar base are expected to be primarily conducted here.
It is known that Chairman Kim strongly wished to inspect this site during his visit to Russia. North Korea has aimed to launch reconnaissance satellites as one of its five core national defense tasks, but after two failed satellite launches this year, securing technology has become a top priority.
Accordingly, concerns have arisen that North Korea might receive core rocket technology from Russia in exchange for supplying weapons and ammunition during this summit. It is also reported that Park Tae-sung, Chairman of the National Emergency Space Science and Technology Committee, who oversees military reconnaissance satellite development in North Korea, was included in the delegation, drawing increased attention to whether actual technology transfer will occur.
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