Yomiuri: "South Korean Government Attempts to Arrange North Korea's Kim Yo-jong Visit to US Before November Election"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Moon Jae-in administration attempted to arrange a visit to the United States by Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the North Korean Workers' Party, before next month's U.S. presidential election, the Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 7th, citing multiple South Korea-U.S.-Japan consultation sources.

According to the report, the South Korean government considered holding a summit-level meeting just before the U.S. election to resume North Korea-U.S. denuclearization talks. They sought to resolve the situation through a 'top-down' approach.

However, similar to the Vietnam Hanoi North Korea-U.S. summit in February last year, if no results were achieved, the authority of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un would inevitably decline. Therefore, the option of Kim, the First Deputy Director and Kim Jong-un's younger sister, visiting the U.S. as a proxy emerged, Yomiuri reported. The South Korean side judged that Kim, the First Deputy Director, has high recognition and a strong domestic power base, making her a suitable counterpart for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Yomiuri also introduced the view of South Korea-U.S.-Japan consultation sources that the South Korean National Intelligence Service's mention of North Korea's 'proxy rule' by Kim, the First Deputy Director, at the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on August 20 was "preparatory work for (Kim Yo-jong's) visit to the U.S." Kim, the First Deputy Director, stated in a July 10 statement that "if possible, I personally intend to obtain a DVD recording of the (U.S.) Independence Day celebration, for which I received permission from Chairman (Kim Jong-un) Comrade," and Yomiuri added that this remark was interpreted as a sign of her visit to the U.S.

However, Yomiuri assessed that "(The South Korean government) aimed for a North Korea-U.S. 'October Surprise,' but with President Trump contracting COVID-19 and Secretary Pompeo's visit to South Korea being postponed, the reality is a desperate situation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.