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Kim Chang-son, chief secretary of the North Korean State Affairs Commission secretariat, in Hanoi on Feb. 16, 10 days before the second North Korea-US summit. (Yonhap News)
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Visit of Kim Chang-son could signal upcoming Russia visit by North Korean leader
The de facto chief of staff of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is reportedly on a trip to Moscow.
Multiple sources told the Hankyoreh on Mar. 21 that Kim Chang-son, chief secretary of the North Korean State Affairs Commission secretariat, had traveled to Moscow by way of Beijing, arriving on Mar. 19, and that he was still there.
As one of the North Korean leader’s closest aides, Kim Chang-son has paid visits to foreign locations that Kim Jong-un was planning to visit, including the sites of the first and second North Korea-US summits, to carry out an advance inspection of the summit venues, accommodations and the route of travel. Because of this, Kim Chang-son’s visit to Russia is prompting speculation that Kim Jong-un will soon be visiting Russia.
If the North Korean leader does visit Russia, he’s expected to do so after North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly convenes in early April. The diplomatic community began to raise the possibility of Kim Jong-un visiting Russia after negotiations were basically ruptured during the North Korea-US summit in Hanoi last month.
Last year marked the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between North Korea and Russia, and Russian President Vladimir Putin took that opportunity to have his foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, officially ask Kim to visit Russia.
Another noteworthy point is the recent flurry of reciprocal visits by high-ranking officials from North Korea and Russia. On Mar. 14, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Im Chon-il visited Moscow for talks with Igor Morgulov, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and the official responsible for the Asia-Pacific region. And on Mar. 6, North Korean Minister for External Economic Affairs Kim Yong-jae and Russian Minister for the Development of the Far East Alexander Kozlov held the 9th meeting of the North Korea-Russia Economic Cooperation Council, also in Moscow.
A delegation from the Russian senate, led by senator Oleg Melnichenko, arrived in North Korea on Mar. 16 for a six-day trip that included a meeting with Ri Su-yong, vice chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea and director of its international affairs. In a political analysis piece that ran on Mar. 20, North Korea’s state-run newspaper the Rodong Sinmun highlighted the mood of exchange with Russia. “A friendly and cooperative relationship between North Korea and Russia corresponds to the two countries’ mutual interests at the present time and continues to develop in accordance with the needs of a new age,” the newspaper said.
By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter
Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
