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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during the former’s fourth visit to Pyongyang on Oct. 7. Kim Yo-jong, North Korea’s vice director of the WPK Central Committee, is seated to Kim Jong-un’s left. (US President Donald Trump’s Twitter account)
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Speculations abound concerning possibility of Kim Yo-jong’s attendance
If the North Korea-US high-level talks that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said might take place within “the next week and a half” actually occur, who would be his North Korean negotiating counterpart? During an interview with Voice of America in Mexico City, Pompeo said, ”I’m very hopeful we’ll have senior leader meetings here in the next week and a half or so between myself and my counterpart.” While Pompeo did not specify the location, his remarks show that he wants his North Korean negotiating counterpart to come to the US for the meeting, rather than him making a fifth trip to North Korea. In light of Pompeo’s past negotiations with North Korea, the first figure that comes to mind is Kim Yong-chol, the vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK). On June 1, Kim Yong-chol traveled to the US as a special envoy from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and visited the White House, where he delivered a personal letter from Kim Jong-un to US President Donald Trump. Kim Yong-chol was also Pompeo’s negotiating counterpart during his first three visits to North Korea (Mar. 31-Apr. 1, May 8-9 and July 6-7). But the upcoming meeting could mark a break with precedent. During Pompeo’s fourth visit to North Korea on Oct. 7, Kim Jong-un dealt with him directly. On top of that, the person who accompanied Kim Jong-un during his meeting with Pompeo was not Kim Yong-chol but rather Kim Yo-jong, first vice director of the WPK central committee. Kim Yong-chol only attended the luncheon. This is prompting speculation about Kim Yo-jong visiting the US if the North Korea-US high-level talks are held in the US as Pompeo hopes. Even in that case, however, “Kim Yo-jong might not come alone,” according a senior South Korean official handling foreign policy and security. Even if Kim Yo-jong visits the US as a special envoy carrying a personal letter from Kim Jong-un, a tête-à-tête with Pompeo might be inappropriate under the current circumstances, leading some to think that she might be accompanied by someone else. In such an event, her companion is less likely to be Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho than Kim Yong-chol. Ri did meet with Pompeo on Sept. 26, around the time of the UN General Assembly, but they did not negotiate, nor was Ri Pompeo’s negotiating counterpart during his four trips to North Korea. By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
