(LEAD) Russian FM to visit N. Korea later this week

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more info; CHANGES photo)
By Park Boram

SEOUL, July 9 (Yonhap) -- Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit North Korea later this week, the North's state media reported Wednesday.

Lavrov will visit North Korea from Friday to Sunday at the invitation of the North Korean foreign ministry, the Korean Central News Agency said, without providing further details.

Once in North Korea, Lavrov is likely to meet North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and pay a courtesy call on leader Kim Jong-un.

The main agenda of discussion is expected to be Kim's visit to Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Kim to Moscow during his visit to Pyongyang in June last year.

Lavrov last visited North Korea in June last year, accompanying Putin to Pyongyang.

The scheduled visit comes as the two countries have dramatically expanded bilateral cooperation and exchanges over the past year, following the signing of a mutual defense treaty in June in Pyongyang.

pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)