Kim Yo-jong Speaks Up After Two Months, Possibly Distancing 'Pro-Russian' Belarus Ahead of Trump's Inauguration Ceremony

First Public Message Since Last November
Silent on South Korea and U.S. Issues

Kim Yo-jong, Vice Department Director of the Workers' Party and sister of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, issued a message on Belarus' foreign policy on the 20th. This is her first public message in about two months since November last year. However, she remained silent on recent issues such as South Korea's impeachment situation and the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of Korea. Photo by Yonhap News

In a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency on the same day, Kim said, "According to a TASS news report on the 17th, the President of Belarus proposed organizing a top-level meeting with Asian countries including North Korea. However, if we understand the context of the report as it is, it seems that Belarus' request was not properly reflected," adding, "At least to my knowledge, such a thing has not happened."

Kim also stated, "If Belarus aims to develop a friendly and cooperative relationship with us, there is no reason to refuse, and we would gladly welcome it," but emphasized, "If they hope to develop a cooperative relationship with us, it is important to clearly express their intentions. The truthfulness and factuality of such matters should be the starting point in relations between countries."

Belarus is classified as a friendly country to Russia. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, analyzed, "It appears that the issue of strengthening cooperation between Belarus and North Korea arose following the September 2023 North Korea-Russia summit, prompted by Russian President Vladimir Putin's suggestion. Subsequently, during high-level exchanges between North Korea and Belarus, TASS reported as if the summit was proposed by North Korea, so this statement was issued to correct that." He added, "For North Korea, since it is gaining sufficient security benefits from its relationship with Russia, cooperation with Belarus is considered secondary," and predicted, "Amid growing expectations for North Korea-U.S. dialogue following the inauguration of the Trump administration, North Korea is likely to maintain a management mode that blocks or controls relations with Belarus to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings with the U.S. for the time being."

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