NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong-il crossed the border into Russia early yesterday for his second visit in two summers. His four-day train tour of the vast country’s eastern reaches will be capped by a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.Kim was expected to tour two defense plants in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. From Komsomolsk, he is to travel to Khabarovsk, according to press secretary Yevgeny Anoshin. There he will visit Dalkhimfarm, the largest pharmaceutical plant in the Russian Far East, Russian media reported.Kim is then expected to head back home, stopping on the way in Vladivostok or nearby Friday to meet with Putin, said Yelena Sukhinina, a government spokeswoman in Vladivostok.

　　A year ago, Kim spent 24 days traveling Russia’s expanse on a train trip.Russian officials have stressed that Kim’s trip is to focus on economic cooperation and Russia’s experience with economic reform. Last month, North Korea launched reforms that include elements of a market-based economy.Kim may also want to consult with Putin ahead of a possible resumption of high-level talks with the United States, which have been interrupted since October 2000. A senior official in U.S. President George W. Bush’s administration said Friday that Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly would probably travel to North Korea this fall in response to an offer by North Korea to resume a formal dialogue.(SD-Agencies)