Shin Won-sik said, "Kim Jong-un's possible visit to Russia...North Korea to launch reconnaissance satellites within this year"

The president's office says it cannot rule out the possibility of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visiting Russia to meet with Russian President Putin.

Shin Won-sik, head of the National Security Office, said on today's broadcast that Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia would be a return visit to Putin's North Korea, or to thank and honor Putin for sending North Korean troops, and to deal with a number of sensitive issues.

He also said there is a possibility of sending additional troops to North Korea, adding that Russia's offensive will strengthen ahead of the early end of the war next year and that the number of casualties will increase if the North Korean military is put into combat, adding that additional dispatch will be needed just for supplementary demand to maintain existing troops.

Director Shin said, "We believe North Korea is in the final stages of launching a spy satellite with a new launch system," adding, "There are no signs of imminent movement to the launch pad, but we believe there is a high possibility of a launch before the end of the year."

In addition, U.S. President-elect Trump said on the phone with Yoon Suk Yeol on the 7th that he first proposed to meet three to four times before taking office, and that he seems to have established a principle not to meet foreign leaders before taking office, considering appointments and domestic issues.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Korea is likely to take place at the APEC summit in Gyeongju next year, he said, adding that he is more likely to visit Korea, especially since China is the chair country of APEC in 2026 after Korea.