Moscow does not see any signs of instability in North Korea a month after the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.
“As far as we know, the situation in North Korea remains calm, and we do not see any developments that could lead to instability in the country,” Lavrov said in an interview with Kyodo News ahead of his two-day visit to Japan starting on January 28.
Kim Jong Il died from a heart attack on December 17 last year at the age of 69. His 29-year-old third son, Kim Jong Un, has since been named "supreme leader of the party, state and army."
Lavrov said the new leadership in Pyongyang appeared to be in control of the situation in the nuclear-armed Communist state, which has been facing a prolonged spell of economic hardship and food shortages, a persistent rivalry with South Korea and international pressure over the country’s nuclear ambitions.
The minister reiterated that Russia, as North Korea’s neighbor, was interested in the development of political and economic ties with Pyongyang.
