24 March

A senior aide to North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has left Moscow, where he was presumably in discussions to prepare for Kim's first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kim Chang Son, who is sometimes described as the leader's "butler," arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, reportedly, via Beijing. The North Korean official was in Singapore and Vietnam shortly before the two US-North Korea summits and inspected hotels for the leader.

Russia and North Korea have been holding discussions on the first summit. The aide was seen again on Saturday, this time going into an airport terminal building in Moscow.

He is believed not to be heading for Beijing, which could mean he is doing preparatory work in other Russian cities, such as Vladivostok.—NHK