About the Author
Anton Sokolin
Anton Sokolin is the data correspondent at NK News. He previously worked at Reuters, TASS and the Korea Trade Promotion Corporation (KOTRA).
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s lengthy trip to the Russian Far East and summit with Vladimir Putin made headlines around the world this month, providing a dramatic display of Moscow’s efforts to build a coalition against the West to gain the upper hand in Ukraine.
But while many observers focused on the prospect of DPRK arms sales to Russia, a number of interactions between Kim and his hosts that largely flew under the radar provide a revealing look into the careful political stagecraft that went into the North Korean leader’s nine-day visit.