[News Analysis] North Korean delegation visits for more comprehensive inter-Korean dialogue following Olympics

A high-ranking North Korean delegation led by Workers’ Party Vice Chairman Kim Yong-chol enters South Korean through the inter-Korean transit office in Paju, Gyeonggi Province on Feb. 25. (Photo Pool)

South Korean side continuing to press for bilateral North Korea-US talks

A high-ranking North Korean delegation visiting the South to attend the Pyeongchang Olympics closing ceremony on Feb. 25 consisted of eight members, including Workers’ Party Vice Chairman and United Front Department (UFD) director Kim Yong-chol as head of the delegation. South Korean government officials remained tight-lipped on the delegation’s schedule during its visit, saying only that it was “under discussion” with the North Korean side. But the two sides appear likely to hold close discussions through various channels during the three-day visit.

The head of the North Korean delegation, Kim Yong-chol, is recognized as one of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s closest associates. He holds key positions spanning the party, military, and government within the North Korean regime, including membership in the Workers’ Party Politburo, Central Military Commission, State Affairs Commission, and Supreme People’s Assembly Presidium. With the Blue House characterizing him as a counterpart to National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon, the visit may feature serious and broad discussions on a range of Korean Peninsula issues, including inter-Korean relations and denuclearization.

“In North Korea, the UFD director typically is not a ministerial-level talks representative who participates in inter-Korean dialogue. He is a figure capable of engaging in more comprehensive discussions, rather than dealing with pending issues in inter-Korean dialogue,” explained Inje University professor Kim Yeon-chul.

“On the whole, it looks as though they will be focusing on how to move inter-Korean relations forward after Pyeongchang,” Kim predicted.

The delegation’s visit to South Korea was the second this month for Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF) chairman Ri Son-kwon. Ri was previously part of the first high-ranking delegation visiting for the Pyeongchang Olympics opening ceremony, sitting down with South Korean Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon as North Korea’s senior representative to high-level inter-Korean talks at Panmunjeom on Jan. 9. Based on this, Ri and Cho are expected to discuss the schedule for future inter-Korean dialogue, including high-level talks.

UFD strategy office chief Kim Song-hye, who arrived as support staff, previously accompanied Workers’ Party Central Committee first vice director Kim Yo-jong on the first high-ranking delegation visit. During that visit, Kim Song-hye seemed to boast stature beyond that of a simple entourage member, as she held a document bag that appeared to contain a letter from Kim Jong-un. She was also observed closely assisting Kim Yo-jong throughout the South Korea visit.

Another of the support staffers, UFD adviser Ri Hyon, is a familiar face in South Korea. Ri previously accompanied a high-ranking mourners’ delegation that visited from the North in Aug. 2009 following the death of former President Kim Dae-jung. Ri was also in attendance in Nov. 2007 during then-President Roh Moo-hyun’s meeting at the Blue House with UFD director Kim Yang-gon. A Ministry of Unification official said the other support staff visiting with Ri, including Kim Myong-guk and Kim Ju-song, “are familiar figures affiliated with the USF who handled practical affairs in past inter-Korean dialogue.”

Choe Kang-il, a deputy director general in charge of diplomatic efforts with the US at the North Korean Foreign Ministry, enters South Korean through the inter-Korean transit office in Paju, Gyeonggi Province on Feb. 25. (Photo Pool) 　

High-ranking delegation’s visit a prelude to North Korea-US talks?

The appearance of Choe Kang-il, a deputy director general in charge of diplomatic efforts with the US at the North Korean Foreign Ministry, was an unprecedented development for inter-Korean relations, with speculation growing that this is a move to prepare for possible contact with the US. As the Ministry official responsible for diplomacy with the US, Choe is known to have been part of a working group for denuclearization and normalization of North Korea-US relations during the Six-Party Talks. The North Korean side is also reported to have sent along interpreting staff.

“Special envoy Kim Yo-jong mostly likely gave a full explanation to Kim Jong-un about President Moon Jae-in’s reference to ‘establishing the right conditions’ for a summit during the first senior delegation’s visit and the need for North Korea-US dialogue,” said University of North Korean Studies professor Yang Moo-jin.

“Choe Kang-il’s visit could be taken as signaling not only that North Korea is preparing for discussions with the US, but also that it has changed its past stance and may be willing to discuss the nuclear issue at the inter-Korean level,” Yang suggested.

By Jung In-hwan, Kim Ji-eun, staff reporters

Please direct questions or comments to [[e-mail]]