Putin`s habitual tardiness attributed to lifestyle

Russian President Vladimir Putin`s habitual tardiness in showing up for summits is possibly because of his disposition and lifestyle of enjoying impromptu activities.

A South Korean government official said Thursday, "We do not regard (Putin`s tardiness) as breach of diplomatic etiquette because Russia informed Korea after changing most of his itineraries during his stay in Korea. However, no one could expect him to be late for the summit because he shook hands with each one of the 30-member group from the Korea Sambo Federation."

Putin has a track record of showing up late for official meetings. He arrived four hours late for a summit last week with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Reportedly, he was late because he drank alcohol with a Russian motorcycle riders whom he stumbled upon on the way to the summit venue.

Experts on Russia attribute Putin`s habitual tardiness mainly to his lifestyle. A public official in Moscow said that Putin`s Kremlin office remains unoccupied on most weekday mornings because his habit of going to bed late and getting up late.

It is because of his habit that many summits held in Moscow fail to be held at the scheduled time, according to diplomats in Moscow. Putin arrived more than one hour late for a summit with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in St. Petersburg in September. At that time, he also showed up 40 minutes late for a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Rumors have it that Putin has had the habit of getting up late since his days at the KGB, the Russian spy agency. Some say that he developed the habit after taking office as president in March 2000. A reporter at Rossiyskaya Gazeta, a major Russian daily, commented that Putin`s habit resembles that of Joseph Stalin, who ruled the Soviet Union for 29 years. It is said that because of his habit of getting up late, he kept foreign delegates waiting outside the Kremlin for several hours on numerous occasions.