North Korea leader in Russia for talks

The Kremlin said the North Korea leader is expected to meet Medvedev in Siberia to discuss North Korea’s nuclear programme and bilateral economic projects amongst other things.

In a statement, the Kremlin said: “A meeting between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Kim Jong-Il will be the main event of the visit.” It added that Kim Jong-Il would also visit the Far Eastern and Siberian regions.

The North Korean leader last travelled to Russia in 2002, where he had met Valdimir Putin, president at the time, in Vladivostok.

The visit comes in wake of fears that North Korea’s hunger crisis in worsening, putting at risk hundreds of thousands of people. According to the European Commission, the situation has reached a point where an increasing number of North Koreans have resorted to eating grass.