North Korea's Kim Yo-jong Shows Presence During US Vice Foreign Minister Biegun's Visit to Korea

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Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party and younger sister of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un

Steven Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea, is currently visiting South Korea, during which Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, made a public statement for the first time in five months, asserting her presence. Given the assessment that Kim Yo-jong oversees North Korea's foreign and security affairs, attention is focused on whether some form of dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. might take place.

In a statement released on the 9th through the Korean Central News Agency, Kim Yo-jong referred to recent remarks by South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, warning that they will be "remembered for a long time." She said, "I have heard in detail through reports the presumptuous comments made by South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha during her Middle East trip regarding our emergency epidemic prevention measures," adding, "Judging by the reckless remarks without any consideration, it seems she is suffering from a fever, wanting to blow an even colder chill into the already frozen inter-Korean relations." She continued, "Her true intentions are clearly visible," and "We have heard them precisely, so we will remember them for a long time, and they will probably have to be precisely accounted for."

Unlike the harsh criticisms or abusive language Kim Yo-jong has shown in past messages directed at South Korea, this statement appears to have moderated its tone somewhat. Since North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un made an unprecedented apology in September regarding the West Sea shooting incident, North Korea has refrained from external denunciations and has maintained a low-key approach.

Although there was no message targeting the U.S. in this statement, its timing during Biegun's visit to South Korea is particularly noteworthy. Since the "Hanoi no deal" in February last year, North Korea-U.S. negotiations have been stalled for a long time. North Korea has never clearly identified who Biegun's counterpart is. Nevertheless, it can be said that Kim Yo-jong is undoubtedly the person leading North Korea's recent strategy toward the U.S.

On July 10, Kim Yo-jong detailed North Korea's future diplomatic direction and overall negotiation stance toward the U.S. in a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency. This led to analyses that she oversees not only the strategy toward South Korea but also the strategy toward the U.S., and foreign media reported the possibility of her visiting the U.S. before the American presidential election. At the National Assembly Intelligence Committee's inspection on the 8th of last month, the National Intelligence Service evaluated Kim Yo-jong as "being involved in the overall state affairs, including not only foreign and security matters but also the comprehensive planning of party inspection events."

Every time Biegun has visited South Korea in the past, the possibility of secret meetings between North Korea and the U.S. at Panmunjom or other locations has been consistently mentioned. During his visit in July, attention was focused on whether North Korea-U.S. dialogue would resume, but there were no significant results. Given that Biegun's current visit is considered a "farewell visit" ahead of the U.S. administration transition, the prevailing assessment is that the possibility remains low. Biegun is expected to meet various South Korean officials and focus more on ensuring a smooth handover to the incoming Biden administration rather than initiating new discussions on the Korean Peninsula issue.

Meanwhile, earlier on the 5th, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha attended the first session of the Manama Dialogue titled "COVID-19 Pandemic Global Governance," held in Bahrain at the invitation of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), where she evaluated North Korea's COVID-19 response as "a somewhat strange situation."

Minister Kang said, "They (North Korea) still claim that there are no cases (of COVID-19), but this is hard to believe," adding, "All signs show that the North Korean regime is very focused on controlling the disease (COVID-19) they claim not to have." She also said, "We are ready to provide assistance regarding COVID-19," and "We have invited them (North Korea) to regional cooperation for public health."

Steven Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea Policy

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