Putin to arrive in Pyongyang for first state visit in 24 years

Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from June 18 to 19, at the invitation of Kim Jong Un, president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Monday. The two-day visit marks the first for a Russian leader in the last 24 years. Putin's only previous visit to Pyongyang was in July 2000, two months after his presidential inauguration.