Russia’s bizarre parting gift to Kim Jong-un after his successful six-day visit

Kim Jong-un recently spent six days in Russia, during which he had a 5-hour meeting with Vladimir Putin at Vostochny Cosmodrom spaceport. The pair have raised global concerns about their increasingly close relationship, and the US issued a serious warning to North Korea about supplying munitions to Russia.

After what have been called by Putin ‘very substantive’ discussions, as CNN reports, Kim Jong-un made his way back to Pyongyang in his bulletproof train. But this wasn’t the only armour he returned with: before he left, he was gifted a bulletproof vest and a set of drones by the governor of the far eastern Russian region of Primorye.

Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia

While Kim Jong-un was in Russia, accompanied by his terrifyingly brutal sister, he stated that he ‘will always be standing with Russia’. The North Korean leader visited several facilities to witness Russia’s advanced technology, and was particularly ‘deeply impressed’ by Russia’s air force manufacturing industry, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

On Saturday 16 September, Kim visited an airfield with the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. KCNA reports that the pair discussed military cooperation ‘between the armed forces of the two countries and in the fields of their national defense and security’. However, Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that no agreements have been signed between the two countries.

Read more: Kim Jong-un reportedly spends $30 million a year on this one bad habit

Kim Jong-un’s gifts

The North Korean leader and the Russian president gifted each other rifles during the visit and, as if that isn’t bizarre enough, governor Primorye gave him armour and drones as a parting present. The Russian state news agency TASS stated:

This is a body armor with protection zones for the chest, shoulders, throat and groin, and it is much lighter than its known analogs.

Only the best for Putin’s pal Kim. His farewell ceremony included a red carpet and honour guards. In addition to the armour, Kim received five attack drones and a reconnaissance drone, along with a set of clothing that is undetectable to cameras using thermal imaging.

The visit seems to have gone very well, which only serves to deepen western worries that the Russia and North Korea will work together in the near future.

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Sources used:

The Guardian:Putin and Kim Jong-un exchange rifles as North Korean leader continues Russia tour

CNN: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gifted bulletproof vest and drones as he leaves Russia