North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was given a tour of the Vostochny Cosmodrome on Wednesday as part of his state visit to Russia.
He was accompanied by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nikolay Nestechuk, the recently appointed chief of ground infrastructure for the Russian space program, along with Roscosmos chief Yury Borisov and other senior officials from the host nation.
Footage of the visit showed Kim asking questions about the size and maximum engine thrust of the Angara rocket family, which Roscosmos is developing for Vostochny launches.
Nestechuk showed Kim a universal launch pad, which can accommodate a wide range of rockets, from light to super-heavy class. He pointed out that “everything here is Russian, from the rocket to the last bolt.”
North Korea has a robust rocket industry, which it is developing in defiance of international sanctions. It has attempted several space launches over the years, which Washington claimed to be ICBM tests in disguise. Pyongyang openly fires military rockets on a regular basis.