North Korea's Kim Jong Un Cancels His First Trip Abroad

A Kremlin spokesman said that the North Korean leader “has decided to stay in Pyongyang.”













North Korean leader Kim Jong Un canceled his planned trip to Russia next month, a Kremlin spokesman said Thursday.






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However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Russia has been told Kim "has decided to stay in Pyongyang."

"This decision is related to (North) Korea's internal affairs," Peskov said according to Reuters

Russia's foreign minister had previously said that Kim had been planning to travel to Moscow to attend events to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, Reuters reported.

However, North Korea never publicly confirmed he would be going, the Associated Press reported.

South Korean officials said that the country's spy agency had expected Kim would in fact attend, Reuters reported.

A South Korean expert told Reuters he wasn't sure why Kim decided not to.

"By visiting Russia, (Kim) would have been able to exert pressure on China and also on South Korea, and he would have been able to improve his own image by going over there with his attractive wife and speak in English, which he surely must be able to do," Yang Moo-jin said.

















LINK: Kim Jong Un’s Wife Appears In Public For The First Time This Year




















LINK: Kim Jong Un "Scales North Korea's Highest Peak" In Leather Shoes And An Overcoat










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