DPRK top leader cancels planned visit to Russia

Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un is pictured in this photo taken on April 26, 2015.  [Photo/Xinhua]

MOSCOW - Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un canceled his planned visit to Moscow for the Victory Day celebration on May 9, the Kremlin said Thursday.

"We were informed of the decision via diplomatic channels ... The leader cited interior affairs in his country as the reason for his absence," the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The spokesman denied allegations that the decision of the DPRK leader came after Moscow probably received warnings from some other countries against the presence of Kim in Moscow.

"That is certainly not the case," Peskov said.