China’s Xinhua News Agency says North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is expected to ask for various types of assistance during upcoming summit talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Xinhua reported that South Korean experts on the North said Monday that the issue of aid for the North and building a natural gas pipeline that passes through the two Koreas will likely top Kim’s discussions with Medvedev.

The report quoted Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies as saying that Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced one day before Kim arrived in Russia that Moscow will provide 50-thousand tons of food aid to the impoverished North. According to Yang, the North Korean leader is expected to ask for more economic assistance from Moscow.

Other South Korean experts were cited as saying both North Korea and Russia have a keen interest in building a gas pipeline that would be used to transport natural gas from Siberia to South Korea. The experts said the construction of such a line would bring about great benefits to Russia and the two Koreas.