Yoon Geon-young, the ruling party's floor leader on the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, interpreted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's recent visit to China as a sign that North Korea intends to actively engage on the international stage.
Speaking on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Yoon discussed Kim's trip, stating, "This can be seen as Kim Jong Un's intention to move forward after a period of diplomatic silence following the 2019 Hanoi summit, often referred to as the 'no-deal summit.'"
Yoon emphasized that Kim's focus on defense and economic matters has become clearer, particularly in relation to Russia and China. He noted, "Since the Russia-Ukraine war, military cooperation with Russia has significantly strengthened," adding that economically, Kim aims to revive the stalled economic cooperation between North Korea and China, centered around the new Yalu River Bridge.
However, Yoon dismissed claims that Kim's visit was aimed at facilitating a North Korea-U.S. summit, calling such interpretations "an overreach." He stated, "It seems that the focus of this trip is on economic matters. That said, I don't think Kim has completely ruled out the possibility of a North Korea-U.S. summit; the possibility has not entirely disappeared."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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