KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR, September 15. /TASS/. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived at the railway station of the Far Eastern Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur early on Friday, a TASS correspondent reported.
He was greeted by Khabarovsk Region Governor Mikhail Degtyarev and Komsomolsk-on-Amur Mayor Alexander Zhornik. A red carpet was unfurled for the top-ranking guest. In accordance with the Russian tradition for special guests, Kim was welcomed with bread and salt.
Shortly after his arrival, Kim went to the Yuri Gagarin Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant (KnAAZ), accompanied by Degtyarev and Zhornik.
The city has two major aircraft building plants - the KnAAZ plant (branch of Sukhoi aircraft maker) and a production facility of the Yakovlev corporation (previously known as Irkut). Both are part of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) of Russia.
KnAAZ is manufacturing advanced warplanes for the Russian Defense Ministry, including Su-35 and Su-57 fighter jets. Together with the Yakovlev branch, it is running a civil aviation project to produce Sukhoi Superjet 100 planes.
The North Korean leader is visiting Russia on an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On September 13, Putin and Kim met at the Vostochny Spaceport in Russia’s Far Eastern Amur Region where they became acquainted with its infrastructure and held talks. Interaction took place both with the participation of their respective delegations and in a one-on-one format discussing economic cooperation, humanitarian issues, the situation in the region and other topics.
Kim Jong Un's visit is official, which is one of the highest categories in protocol practice. Russia is the first state he is visiting since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, during which North Korea’s borders were closed. Previously, Kim Jong Un came to Russia in April 2019. The two leaders held talks in Vladivostok at their first meeting.