MOSCOW 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin received a senior North Korean official at the Kremlin.

"Vladimir Putin met with Ri Hi-yong, a member of the Politburo and the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea," Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

The Kremlin also released a video of Putin's meeting with the North Korean official.

Most North Korean officials prefer to maintain a low profile, and their visits to Russia are rarely accompanied by public appearances or statements.