Youn Kun-young and Yoo Yeong-ha said South Korea’s intelligence agency viewed Kim Jong-un’s China visit as a possible signal on U.S. talks, The Korea Herald reported Thursday.
The lawmakers gave the account during a closed-door parliamentary intelligence committee audit. Youn is a member of the ruling Democratic Party; Yoo is with the main opposition People Power Party. They said the National Intelligence Service (NIS) shared that assessment during the committee session.
Kim spent a day in Dandong on Oct. 24, where he met Wang Huning, China’s top political adviser, and visited a war memorial. The visit took place as North Korea and China pursued closer ties.
The lawmakers said the NIS considered whether Kim’s trip served another purpose beyond marking China’s participation in the Korean War. They said Kim’s group included senior diplomats, among them Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, while no military officials were present.
The assessment came before next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen. Trump is expected to attend, and he has indicated openness to restarting dialogue with Kim.
The Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) said in an Oct. 26 report that the timing and the officials present raised the possibility of early coordination for a Kim-Trump meeting around the summit, but did not confirm that talks had occurred. KINU said Beijing could gain influence on the Korean Peninsula by helping bring the leaders together. It also warned that direct U.S.-North Korea talks or China-led mediation could narrow South Korea’s diplomatic and security options, as EconoTimes previously reported on the possible China role.
Yonhap reported that South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told lawmakers Oct. 27 that North Korea and China may have discussed restarting dialogue with Washington. Cho cautioned that a firm conclusion would be premature.
