(LEAD) N. Korean leader to meet Russian president in Siberia's Ulan Ude: source

Yonhap News ^ | 08/20/11

[TigerLikesRooster]

(LEAD) N. Korean leader to meet Russian president in Siberia's Ulan Ude: source

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more details)

MOSCOW, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il may begin his Russian visit on Saturday and is expected to hold summit talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in a Siberian city on Tuesday, an informed source here said.

The Kim-Medvedev summit will take place at a military facility in Ulan Ude, said the source, noting an advance team from the Kremlin has already arrived in the third-largest city in eastern Siberia.

The commander of the military unit has recently visited North Korea to prepare for the summit, the source added.

The Russian daily Izvestia also reported Friday, quoting an official of the country's presidential office, that the leaders of North Korea and Russia will meet in Ulan Ude next week.

Ulan Ude is the capital city of the Buryat Republic, Russia, located about 100 kilometers southeast of Lake Baikal, with a population of about 400,000. Major industries there are metals and machinery.

On Saturday, Japan's Kyodo News, quoting unnamed Russian government officials, reported that Kim's visit to Russia will begin later in the day.

[TigerLikesRooster]

The latest news is that his special train arrived in Hasan, Russia, near N. Korea-Russian border.

[Wuli]

ping

[enraged]

Seal Team 6, Fire at will.

[nuconvert]

“The latest news is that his special train arrived in Hasan, Russia, near N. Korea-Russian border.”

And no one blew it up?
Darn

[caww]

'The Kim-Medvedev summit'...... will take place at a military facility in Ulan Ude, said the source, noting an advance team from the Kremlin has already arrived in the third-largest city in eastern Siberia.

So what are these two up to Tigers? Golly, Russia's all over the map of late...on the move in a big way.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Kim Jong-il wants advanced warplanes(MIG-29?) and Russia wants to build gaspipline to S. Korea, via N. Korea.

Chia Head wants to continue his nuke/military politics and Russia strives for energy politics, which it successfully played in Europe.

[caww]

Thank you and interesting...I didn’t realize Russia was interested in a pipeline there. How’d I miss that!

Is Kim’s son much on the political front now or still behind the scenes? Haven’t seen or heard much.

[Mad Federalist]

Real-world parasites! Putin’s lap dog and lil-Kim, both dear leaders. Meeting?!? What a surprise! They have social skills. I’m taking notes.

[TigerLikesRooster]

The junior lowered his public profile. It seems he is busy behind the scene, purging potential enemies.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Besides, this counteracts their dependence on China. It remains to be seen if NK is serious about gas pipeline, or just another ruse to use Russia.

Lately, China is said to be pushing lease for naval base in the port where Chinese got commercial lease for 50 years(at Rasun city, near mouth of Tumen River.) China reportedly wants at least 20 year lease to station Chinese navy ships, but NK wants to allow only 10 year lease. Haggling between them is said to be on-going.

[cunning_fish]

It is not smart on Russian side to build a pipeline via instable nation hostile to it’s ROK client.
At first they have to make the same trick they did in A-stan in 1979: land two companies of special troops one at the Presidential palace and another at the national tv-center to broadcast an eye-opening propaganda that Kim was in reality a Japanese spy and an enemy of the people planning to sell his nation to capitalists. The first team has to slice Kim into pieces at the time to broadcast a confession an hour later. There must be another ‘dear leader’ with soldiers instructed to be a good comrade or face the same fate:)

[caww]

I do question why a pipeline thru N. Korea into S.Korea would be ideal. It would give Kim leverage against S.Korea once S.Korea taps into it....if they do at all.

I had read about the port though. China will maintain it’s hold over N.Korea and get their way I think....food is a high priority for Kim’s Army and they aren’t doing so well of late.

[caww]

Kim Jr...... purging potential enemies.

I know there were some that have been shaking in their shoes that he's going to do the same thing his father did...cleaned house and then some.

[Greysard]

There must be another ‘dear leader’ with soldiers instructed to be a good comrade or face the same fate:)

I see no geopolitical profit from keeping the NK regime in power. Neither for Russia nor for China nor for SK (obviously.) NK is just an unstable unknown, ready to blow up in a million different ways at a drop of a hat.

There are tensions between Japan and SK; between Japan and China; between China and Vietnam; between India and Pakistan. Japan also wants the islands from Russia, but Russia won them fair and square in 1945, and nothing is going to happen between those two.

Outside of this list, nobody really has any problem with anybody else. NK doesn't solve any problem. Instead it creates them. China, for example, has to babysit its creature Kim, whereas said Kim sometimes throws tantrums that are measured in kilotons. Who wants to defend an obvious loser?

Similarly, Russia doesn't want to have a border with an unhappy state. If things go bad in NK (compared to what they got used to) the border will be overran by hordes of refugees, and then Russia will have to house them and feed them and that can last for decades.

I think all NK's neighbors secretly wish for demise of the Juche state. It will be bad, but it will be bad only once. As it stands now, it's bad all the time, with no end in sight. Everyone (even Chavez) understands now that you can't build communism using Marx's delirious writings as a guideline. Marx was just a liberal journalist, not a sociologist and not a historian. He was clueless about the nature of humans. His mistakes cost only what, 30 to 50 million lives?

Anyway, only NK is adhering to Marxism now, in its worst form - the hereditary dictatorship combined with complete self-isolation of the country that has no resources to speak of. This society has no future - even for Kim's family, unless they all adore the view from lampposts.

With regard to this meeting, it's a usual thing. Kim is known to visit the neighbors once in a few years, and the time is about right for that. They will chat about the usual things, and nothing much will happen. Kim is probably only interested in purely political stuff - what would X do if Y were to do Z. He has no economy to worry about.

Putin was deeply involved in Ukrainian gas / pipeline conflicts, so he is not going to give Kim the leverage. Just imagine how happy Kim would be if he can stop the flow of gas and freeze those SK people out. A pipeline can be built on NK land only if it is exterritorial, meaning that it is operated and guarded by Russia or SK. Not much chance that Kim will allow this - he is paranoid enough already.

[Condor51]

N. Korean leader to meet Russian president in Siberia's Ulan Ude

The first thing I do when I see an unknown place like that published anywhere is check Google Maps₍₁₎ to see where it actually is. (I'm weird that way, I love maps) And the first thought that came to mind was: 'I hope Medvedev isn't-wasn't flying'.

Ulan Ude is out in the middle of nowhere and an 'airplane accident' could be just a little too convenient. Not that I don't trust Putin or anything.

Google Maps are just one of the many Maps I use. Have quick access to about 20 different on-line ones.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

SK is doing nicely without gas from the Rooskies. They'd be nuts to allow NK to threaten a cutoff of supplies of anything for their economy.

[SevenofNine]

HEY TIGER you saw that tweet yeah Chia pet landed I am shock dude in Siberia I thought he going take Tran siberia train to all way to Moscow or take train to St Petersburg LOL!

[rdl6989]

bump