Seoul's unification ministry says Kim Song-nam's China trip appeared meant to share plenum results and keep high-level ties, while it watches other possibilities.
Seoul's unification ministry said Monday that a senior North Korean ruling party official's recent Beijing visit appeared intended to share the outcome of last month's key Chinese party meeting and maintain high-level exchanges between the two countries. Spokesperson Yoon Min-ho made the assessment at a press briefing.
Yoon said the primary purpose of the trip was to share the results of the fifth plenary session of the CPC Central Committee and maintain high-level exchanges. "But we will continue monitoring relevant developments with various possibilities in mind," he said. He was responding to a reporter's question on whether the visit was meant for bilateral consultations on a possible resumption of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.
Kim Song-nam, a member of the Workers' Party of Korea Political Bureau and a party secretary, was in China from Tuesday to Saturday. He met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other senior officials, and held talks with Liu Haixing, head of the CPC International Liaison Department, and Cai Qi.
Yonhap reported that KCNA said Kim met Liu on Friday at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, and that it was Kim's third meeting with a senior Chinese official since he arrived Tuesday. Kim briefed Liu on Pyongyang's "successes" in party-building work, and the two sides reaffirmed support for each other's policies and pledged deeper cooperation. China hosted a reception for the delegation.
Yoon noted the trip came 10 days after Kim Jong-un's visit to Dandong, saying it showed relations developing into "strategic" ones. Yonhap said the two countries are seeking to deepen ties after Xi Jinping's June summit with Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang.
