[Anchor]
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a surprise visit to China. Let's discuss how our government views this with reporter Park Yerim, who covers the Blue House.
Q. Did the government know about Kim Jong-un's visit to China in advance?
[Reporter Park Yerim : North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un attended the military parade for the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance held in Beijing, China, in September of last year. This marks his visit to China after 1 year and 1 month. Officials at the Blue House, the Ministry of Unification, and the Ministry of National Defense have been quite busy since this morning (October 24). It appears that authorities detected signs of Kim's visit to China to some extent beforehand, including the traffic control situation in Dandong, China. A government official told SBS, "We have been tracking unusual movements since yesterday." Furthermore, Representative Yoon Kun-young of the Democratic Party, who serves as the secretary of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, told SBS, "The National Intelligence Service visited the National Assembly yesterday and reported that there was a possibility of Chairman Kim visiting China, and that it would likely be a day trip." It is also reported that the government used intelligence assets to track Chairman Kim's travel route: "Pyongyang, Sinuiju, the New Yalu River Bridge, and Dandong."]
Q. What is the government's official reaction?
[Reporter Park Yerim : Amid the absence of official announcements from North Korea-China authorities or a response from our government, the biggest question is why he went. The Blue House stated, "We are closely monitoring related trends while keeping various possibilities in mind." This visit to China took place a day before the 76th-anniversary event of Chinese troops' entry into the Korean War. Our government understands that Chairman Kim met with Premier Li Keqiang in China. Information regarding whether a North Korea-China summit took place—which could help gauge the purpose of this visit—has not yet been reported.]
Q. How will Kim Jong-un's visit to China affect inter-Korean relations?
[Reporter Park Yerim : Following North Korea's declaration of "two hostile states," border fortification work continued, and the North Korean landmine explosion incident also broke out. Inter-Korean relations have reached a point where the word "severance" is more fitting than "strained." North Korea's Kim Yo-jong and others have repeatedly drawn a line, stating they have "nothing to do with South Korea." Under these conditions, analysts suggest that even if North Korea-China alignment leads to North Korea-U.S. dialogue, it remains uncertain what practical role our government, which has styled itself as a "pacemaker," can actually play.]
(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Video Reported by Jeong Sang-bo | Video Edited by Lee So-young)
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