Russia's deputy PM to visit North Korea soon

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev plans to visit North Korea soon, a U.S. radio report said Wednesday. The trip by Trutnev, who is also President Vladimir Putin's envoy to Russia's Far East, is the latest in a series of exchange visits of high-level officials between the two countries, the Washington-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported, citing Russian media. Russian media reported Trutnev's planned trip to Pyongyang on Tuesday, citing Kim Yong-jae, North Korea's top envoy to Russia, according to the RFA. No details on agenda and date of his trip were given, though Trutnev is expected to discuss with North Korean officials ways to boost their economic cooperation. In September, a 54-km, double-track rail link reopened between Rason, North Korea's northern tip, and the nearby Russian town of Khasan after several years of renovation. In February, North Korea's octogenarian ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong-nam, attended the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics