September 26, 2023
Analysis

What Kim Jong Un’s decision to skip the Eastern Economic Forum means for Russia

That neither Kim or Moon will attend the Vladivostok EFF next month is a major setback for Russia

Putting an end to several months of speculation, the Kremlin has announced that it is not expecting either Kim Jong Un or Moon Jae-in to attend this year's Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok.

Yury Ushakov, an aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin, announced that the upcoming Kim-Moon summit (the date for which has not yet been officially confirmed) will coincide with the EEF, and that Russia must therefore assume that neither Moon Jae-in nor Kim Jong Un will be present.