Moscow - The North Korean leader, Mr Kim Jong-Il, held talks with a senior Russian communist official last month, the first time in 10 years that the reclusive leader of the Stalinist state has met a foreign official, according to Russian reports yesterday.
Mr Oleg Shenin, chairman of a grouping of communist parties of the former Soviet Union, met Mr Kim at the North Korean leader's Pyongyang residence on September 2nd, ITARTASS said. The meeting was held at the personal invitation of the North Korean leader, the Russian agency added.
Mr Shenin said his host appeared well-informed on events in Russia, adding the two men discussed international events and Pyongyang's relations with Tokyo and the US.