Our Dear Leader, Kim Jong Il, has caught a train to Russia and will meet and attend an energy summit with President Dmitry Medvedev later this week. The summit is expected to focus on energy cooperation and nuclear disarmament, no spice. But, Our Dear Leader is probably also after a business opportunity that will make money out of South Korea.

It was Medvedev who extended the invitation to Kim, who arrived in Russia on Saturday via armoured train, greeted by Russian women in national dress offering him traditional gifts of bread and salt.

Basically, the two leaders will meet later this week to discuss the possible transportation of Russian natural gas and other energy (read: oil and electricity), to North and South Korea.

Medvedev is also quite keen to resume the long-stalled negotiations on ending Our Dear Leader’s nuclear ambitions, in return for aid.

Just ahead of this trip, Russia announced that it was already providing 50 000 tons of wheat to the North, which might face another food crisis this year due to heavy rains.

Kim has already been to China a few times in the last year to ask for aid and it’s hoped these new talks could spur some good faith out of Kim.

The business of the possible construction of a pipeline that would stream Russian natural gas to both Koreas is also expected to be a focus for Kim, because he knows he can make approximately $100 million out of the South each year by supplying it to them.

Today Kim’s train was pushing through the resource-rich far east of Russia, calling on some major Russian power projects, while yesterday he visited a hydroelectric power plant in Amur province to admire and learn about its history.

Imparting some wisdom, he wrote in the plant’s visitor’s book:

Inexhaustible is the strength of the Russian people.

It’s been almost 10 years since Our Dear Leader travelled to Russia and the trip has also sparked rumours that he is after investment and support for a transfer of power to his youngest son, Kim Jong Un.

[Source: AssociatedPress via Yahoo]