North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui attends a ceremony in May to unveil a plaque in memory of Alexander Matsegora, Russian ambassador to North Korea (2014-2025), at the Russian Embassy. (TASS-Yonhap) North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has traveled to Russia at the invitation of her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Pyongyang's state media confirmed Sunday, in a visit widely seen as paving the way for a possible summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.According to the Korean Central News Agency, Choe departed Pyongyang aboard her official aircraft on Saturday, accompanied by a delegation. She was seen off at Pyongyang International Airport by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong-gyu and Vladimir Topekha, charge d'affaires ad interim at the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang.The report did not disclose the purpose of the visit or Choe's itinerary.Russia's Foreign Ministry had announced a day earlier that Choe would arrive in Russia on July 18 for an official visit at Lavrov's invitation. Russian state media, including TASS and RIA Novosti, also reported her arrival before North Korean state media acknowledged the trip.The visit marks Choe's first trip to Russia since October last year, when she traveled to Moscow on what Pyongyang described as a working visit before attending a Eurasian security forum in Belarus.The latest visit comes as North Korea and Russia continue to deepen ties under the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed by Kim and Putin during the Russian leader's visit to Pyongyang in June 2024. Since then, the two countries have expanded cooperation across political, economic and military sectors, with North Korea also deploying thousands of troops and supplying weapons to support Russia's war in Ukraine, according to South Korean, US and Ukrainian officials.Analysts say one of the primary objectives of Choe's visit is likely to coordinate Kim's long-awaited return visit to Russia. Putin invited the North Korean leader to visit Russia during their Pyongyang summit in 2024, but the trip has yet to materialize."The two sides are likely to discuss ways to further strengthen North Korea-Russia relations through Kim Jong-un's anticipated visit to Russia later this year," said Yang Moo-jin, a distinguished professor at the University of North Korean Studies.He added that "with the possibility of renewed escalation in the war following recent Ukrainian drone attacks, Russia may seek additional military assistance from North Korea, including artillery shells and missiles, on which it has become increasingly dependent."The visit comes against the backdrop of warming ties between Pyongyang and Beijing following last month's summit between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping.Yang said Choe is expected to brief Russian officials on recent developments in North Korea-China relations and reassure Moscow that Pyongyang's improving ties with Beijing will not undermine its partnership with Russia."Although the visit comes at Lavrov's invitation, it effectively reflects Russia's efforts to maintain its influence on the Korean Peninsula," Yang said. "From North Korea's perspective, it also serves to reassure Moscow that improved ties with China will not come at the expense of North Korea-Russia relations."He added that North Korea's diplomatic leverage has increased as both China and Russia seek closer coordination with Pyongyang."Since relations between North Korea and China normalized, Pyongyang has found itself courted simultaneously by both Beijing and Moscow," Yang said. "North Korea is seeking to elevate its status as the central pillar of trilateral cooperation among North Korea, China and Russia in response to the South Korea-US-Japan partnership."The trip follows a series of high-level exchanges between Pyongyang and Beijing, including Xi's visit to North Korea last month, North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song's visit to China earlier this month and a subsequent trip to Pyongyang by Wang Huning, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, underscoring North Korea's efforts to maintain close ties with both of its principal strategic partners.