Kim Jong Un Makes Landmark First Trip To Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was greeted with pomp, ceremony, and heavy security as he arrived in Vladivostok on April 24 ahead of a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim traveled from Pyongyang on an armored train for the nearly 700-kilometer trip to the city in Russia's Far East.
![North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks past honor guards during a welcome ceremony shortly after arriving at the railway station in the Russian port of Vladivostok on April 24. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/b4e802c6-7abb-40f0-bbb6-d4a11355d7ff_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks past honor guards during a welcome ceremony shortly after arriving at the railway station in the Russian port of Vladivostok on April 24.
![Earlier the same day, the North Korean leader was pictured stepping out of his train at a ceremony in the Russian town of Khasan, near the border with North Korea. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/de500a53-37d5-4b98-9c5e-fb502d5bf781_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Earlier the same day, the North Korean leader was pictured stepping out of his train at a ceremony in the Russian town of Khasan, near the border with North Korea.
![In Vladivostok, soldiers nudged the red carpet into place.](https://gdb.rferl.org/a7e9d61a-3ae8-4d38-a14f-1103cf7f5f0a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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In Vladivostok, soldiers nudged the red carpet into place.
![An honor guard near Vladivostok's train station prepared for Kim's armored train to arrive. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/28029787-8efd-4fa9-b096-1ee147f96db3_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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An honor guard near Vladivostok's train station prepared for Kim's armored train to arrive.
![North Korean security personnel guard a car before Kim's arrival in Vladivostok. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/fff85aaf-1e36-41ee-939d-13b51ed212c9_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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North Korean security personnel guard a car before Kim's arrival in Vladivostok.
![North Korean and Russian flags hang from lampposts in Vladivostok. The April 25 summit will be the first meeting of the two countries' leaders.](https://gdb.rferl.org/8d5bed43-33c9-4b37-a908-30a25648380b_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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North Korean and Russian flags hang from lampposts in Vladivostok. The April 25 summit will be the first meeting of the two countries' leaders.
![The North Korean armored train rumbling through Vladivostok](https://gdb.rferl.org/39f53ab0-2b6e-4408-b4fc-f14866521353_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The North Korean armored train rumbling through Vladivostok
![A North Korean cameraman takes up a position on the roof of a building near Vladivostok's train station. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/3da49207-85d6-4b68-86b8-286675fe9798_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A North Korean cameraman takes up a position on the roof of a building near Vladivostok's train station.
![Kim arriving at the railway station. The Russian-North Korean summit comes two months after talks broke down between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.](https://gdb.rferl.org/ff345a80-01f5-476b-b145-c119bfe6648e_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Kim arriving at the railway station. The Russian-North Korean summit comes two months after talks broke down between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.
![Jogging security personnel escort Kim's vehicle through Vladivostok. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/f50ad44c-c37c-445a-96f5-51dec4c7285d_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Jogging security personnel escort Kim's vehicle through Vladivostok.
![Kim and Putin are set to meet at a university campus on an island near Vladivostok. Kim told Russian media through an interpreter: “I hope that we can discuss concrete questions about peace negotiations on the Korean peninsula and bilateral relations." ](https://gdb.rferl.org/db9f6c3a-0e6c-4c57-bf5b-762aefe89e08_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Kim and Putin are set to meet at a university campus on an island near Vladivostok. Kim told Russian media through an interpreter: “I hope that we can discuss concrete questions about peace negotiations on the Korean peninsula and bilateral relations."