Visit by N. Korea's Kim Yo-jong shows regime wants to improve ties
- 6 years ago
Let's start with the big news out of North Korea.
The North is sending the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to South Korea for the start of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Kim Yo-jong will arrive on Friday with a group of other bigwigs from the regime.
We await to see what kind of response her trip might bring from U.S. Vice President Mike Pence who is set to arrive in Seoul this afternoon.
Oh Jung-hee reports.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong will be the first of Pyongyang's Kim dynasty -- of the so-called Mount Baekdu bloodline -- to visit South Korea.
The North notified the South on Wednesday of its high-level delegation,... and Seoul's unification ministry said... Pyongyang seems to have taken into account... both Kim Yo-jong's position within the regime... as well as the fact that national leaders tend to send their family members to other countries for celebrations.
Experts say... Pyongyang aims to maximize the effect of the sudden change of atmosphere on the Korean peninsula... by using Kim Yo-jong as a card.
The scheduled presence of U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump... is another reason.
"President Trump is sending his country's vice president, Mike Pence, as well as his daughter,... and the North would have considered that. By sending delegates who're at the same level with those of the U.S., like Kim Yo-jong and Kim Yong-nam, the North aims to show it's willing to improve ties with the South."
Pundits add... that another person making the trip South, Choe Hwi is going not only because he's the regime's highest authority in sports,... but also a very close aide to Kim Jong-un.
Also Ri Son-kwon... as a control tower-like figure... since he led the North Korean delegation at the high-level talks a month ago.
By sending Kim Yo-jong to the South,... experts believe Pyongyang aims to show the world that it's sincere about improving inter-Korean ties.
They see it as highly likely that Kim Yo-jong will deliver proposals or messages to South Korean president Moon Jae-in... on behalf of her brother.
"North Korea could make some dramatic proposals to the South through Kim Yo-jong... like holding Seoul-Pyongyang summit talks... or having a high-level South Korean delegation visit the North. So the Seoul government will have to be ready for all possible scenarios."
While eyes had been on whether the high-level delegations from Washington and Pyongyang could sit down for talks during the Olympics,... North Korea has shunned the possibility.
According to the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency on Thursday,... Cho Yong-sam, a director general at North Korea's foreign ministry said... the regime's delegation does not intend to meet any U.S. officials.
He stressed the delegation is only going to PyeongChang to celebrate the successful hosting of the Games... and the regime does not want to nor need to use the international sports event as a political opportunit
The North is sending the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to South Korea for the start of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Kim Yo-jong will arrive on Friday with a group of other bigwigs from the regime.
We await to see what kind of response her trip might bring from U.S. Vice President Mike Pence who is set to arrive in Seoul this afternoon.
Oh Jung-hee reports.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong will be the first of Pyongyang's Kim dynasty -- of the so-called Mount Baekdu bloodline -- to visit South Korea.
The North notified the South on Wednesday of its high-level delegation,... and Seoul's unification ministry said... Pyongyang seems to have taken into account... both Kim Yo-jong's position within the regime... as well as the fact that national leaders tend to send their family members to other countries for celebrations.
Experts say... Pyongyang aims to maximize the effect of the sudden change of atmosphere on the Korean peninsula... by using Kim Yo-jong as a card.
The scheduled presence of U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump... is another reason.
"President Trump is sending his country's vice president, Mike Pence, as well as his daughter,... and the North would have considered that. By sending delegates who're at the same level with those of the U.S., like Kim Yo-jong and Kim Yong-nam, the North aims to show it's willing to improve ties with the South."
Pundits add... that another person making the trip South, Choe Hwi is going not only because he's the regime's highest authority in sports,... but also a very close aide to Kim Jong-un.
Also Ri Son-kwon... as a control tower-like figure... since he led the North Korean delegation at the high-level talks a month ago.
By sending Kim Yo-jong to the South,... experts believe Pyongyang aims to show the world that it's sincere about improving inter-Korean ties.
They see it as highly likely that Kim Yo-jong will deliver proposals or messages to South Korean president Moon Jae-in... on behalf of her brother.
"North Korea could make some dramatic proposals to the South through Kim Yo-jong... like holding Seoul-Pyongyang summit talks... or having a high-level South Korean delegation visit the North. So the Seoul government will have to be ready for all possible scenarios."
While eyes had been on whether the high-level delegations from Washington and Pyongyang could sit down for talks during the Olympics,... North Korea has shunned the possibility.
According to the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency on Thursday,... Cho Yong-sam, a director general at North Korea's foreign ministry said... the regime's delegation does not intend to meet any U.S. officials.
He stressed the delegation is only going to PyeongChang to celebrate the successful hosting of the Games... and the regime does not want to nor need to use the international sports event as a political opportunit