INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
North Korea's Kim Jong Un expressed his "heartfelt thanks" to President Vladimir Putin, state media said Monday, as he headed home after
nearly a week in Russia.Kim's tour of Russia's Far East, which began Tuesday, has sparked concern in the West that Pyongyang could provide
Moscow with weapons for its war in Ukraine.During the trip, the North Korean leader inspected everything from Russian space rockets to
It also included a symbolic exchange of rifles with Putin.Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency on Monday said Kim "extended his heartfelt
thanks to President Putin and the Russian leadership" for "their special care and cordial hospitality" as he wrapped up the visit.Kim is
heading home "after successfully completing the schedule of his official goodwill visit to the Russian Federation," KCNA said.He also wished
"Russia prosperity and its people well-being," the KCNA report added.North Korea and Russia, long-standing allies, have both found
visit, Kim said his country would make bilateral ties with Russia its "number one priority," as he held a rare summit with Putin.Russia is
eager for North Korea's stockpile of artillery shells to be used in Ukraine, while Pyongyang is looking for help with satellite technology
and upgrading its Soviet-era military equipment, experts say.On Wednesday, Putin and Kim held talks at Russia's new Vostochny cosmodrome,
located roughly 8,000 kilometers from Moscow.After the meeting, Putin talked up the prospect of greater cooperation with North Korea and the
"possibilities" for military ties.But the Kremlin has said no agreement has or will be signed.Earlier Sunday, Kim watched a performing
walrus at the Primorsky Aquarium, Russia's largest, accompanied by North Korean military officials.State media images showed Kim smiling as
he applauded the walrus and its handler.Kim also "watched white dolphins and other sea animals performing acrobatic feats at the
reputation as a popular scientific research base" under Putin's leadership, it added.Kim's latest visit to Russia will "shine long in
history", KCNA said, and will further consolidate the two countries' "militant unity" while "opening up a new chapter" of their
relations.While meeting Kim, Putin accepted an invitation to visit North Korea and offered to send one of its nationals to space, which
would be a first for the isolated country, as its own space program has struggled to develop.Kim is heading back to North Korea on his
heavily armored train, with KCNA saying the leader "starts his way home after bringing about a new radical turn in the history of the
development of the DPRK-Russia relations."DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name.Before departing from Vladivostok, the Pacific
port city just over the border, Kim was presented with five explosive drones, a reconnaissance drone and a bulletproof vest as gifts from
the governor of the Primorye region, which borders China and North Korea.
