남북, 북미정상회담 그리고 3차 북중정상회담 후 이뤄지는 문 대통령 러시아 국빈방문
Attention is being drawn to the overall implications of this special state visit.
One of the highlights is the summit between the two leaders, who are no strangers, having met several times before.
Our Cha Sang-mi sheds light on the significance of the timing of this sit-down as well as what both sides seek to get out of it.
Russia is the place to be these days; not just for soccer fans, but also for world leaders conducting diplomacy.
President Moon Jae-in's state visit to Russia follows a series of meetings involving the Koreas, all of them historic: the two inter-Korean summits, the Singapore summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, and the North Korean leader's third meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
One key topic in the South Korea-Russia talks will be, undoubtedly, North Korea, and specifically, its denuclearization.
One expert says Seoul wants to get Russia involved in the denuclearization talks through potential economic projects by Moscow and Pyongyang.
"Right now, to handle the North Korea issue, South Korea badly needs outside support. And one of the goals is get Russia involved in dealing with North Korea. First of all, economic projects. I'm pretty sure there will some discussions about railway and gas pipelines. (cut) These discussions will not yield any significant results. However, there are other areas, which are of great importance and where progress can be made."
Though North Korea's trade with Russia is worth just two percent of what it trades with China, the expert says Russia is still a status quo power and its soft power in North Korea should not be underestimated.
And, experts say, it's not just Seoul trying to cozy up to Moscow; both sides have an interest in strengthening their long neglected bilateral ties.
In exchange for support in developments on the Korean Peninsula, Russia wants to bring in South Korean investment.
"Russia has never requested economic cooperation from China, fearing that Chinese capital and people flowing into the Far East region could create massive territorial disputes. That's why Putin agreed to economic cooperation with Prime Minister Abe. But there could also be territorial issues with Japan in the northern regions, which is why South Korean investment is politically the most stable for Russia."
Economic cooperation, experts say, will take a long time to bear fruit, but like the Korean saying, starting is half the task.
Cha Sang-mi, Arirang News.
