Russian Speaker leaves N Korea without meeting Kim Jong-il
Seoul: Sergei Mikhailovich Mironov, chairman of the Federation Council of Russia, returned home from Pyongyang without meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, according to the North's state media.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim Yong-nam, president of the Supreme People's Assembly the Presidium of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the north's official title, met and had a friendly talk with Mironov at the Mansudae Assembly Hall when the latter paid a courtesy call on him on Wednesday.
The KCNA, monitored in Seoul, said that Mironov delivered a gift for Kim Jong-il to Kim Yong-nam.
The Russian Parliamentary Speaker arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday at the invitation of North Korea and met with his counterpart, Choe Thae-bok, that day for talks on issues of bilateral interest.
Mironov met Kim Jong-il on his last visit to Pyongyang in 2004.
PTI