Kim Jong Un's aides secretly visited Beijing - Media

Two aides to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Beijing after mid-July. These trips are believed to be related to construction projects, sources familiar with China-North Korea relations informed on Sunday, Kyodo News reports, writes UNN.

Details

Their visits to China were not covered by North Korean state media, and, as noted, the movements of Kim Jong Un's aides rarely become known outside of official reports. They are said to often accompany the leader during his inspections of construction projects in North Korea.

These visits, the publication writes, indicate a normalization of economic ties between Beijing and Pyongyang, despite assumptions of a possible recent exacerbation of bilateral relations due to North Korea's deepening military ties with Russia.

China is North Korea's closest and most influential economic ally, but mutual visits by high-ranking officials have recently become relatively rare, even after the lifting of strict travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the publication notes.

According to sources, the two aides are Kim Bok Nam, a senior military officer and brigade commander, and an unnamed high-ranking official of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. They visited the Chinese capital for four days, starting on July 12.

Then, on August 2, a high-ranking party official reportedly traveled alone to Beijing and returned to Pyongyang three days later. Their detailed itinerary in China remains unknown.

In June, they accompanied Kim Jong Un when the DPRK leader inspected hospitals and an entertainment complex under construction in Pyongyang.

Since last December, Kim Bok Nam has frequently traveled with Kim Jong Un to the sites of major construction projects, including the Wonsan Kalma tourist zone on the east coast, which opened in July, media reported.

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The unnamed high-ranking official first appeared in official media in June of this year. On August 1, he reportedly accompanied Kim Jong Un to a large greenhouse farm near Sinuiju in the northwest of the country.