North Korean Top Nuke Envoy Joins Kim`s Luxury Village

Kim Gye Gwan, the North Korean chief negotiator to the six-party talks, reportedly has moved to Eundokchon, where close associates of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il are concentrated.

Eundokchon, near the Taedong River in Pyongyang, is the country’s most luxurious village, which befits the name, which means “village created by the grace of Kim Jong Il.” Each of the six luxurious five-story households there is about 100-pyeong in area with six bedrooms, two washrooms, bathtubs, a living room, a dining room, and storage space.

The village was originally built for nuclear and missile scientists in 1992 according to Kim Jong Il’s instructions. But it is now used by military heavyweights, including Hyun Chol Hae, Kim Myong Kook, Lee Myong Soo and Park Jae Kyong, and Kim’s closest associates in the Korea Workers’ Party and the cabinet, including O Kook Ryol.

The houses in Eundokchon can be accessed only by elevator, and are tightly guarded by a company of police.

As the electricity supply is unreliable in the country, the village has its own generator for heating and cooling. The electricity is supplied from the nearby Taedong River Guest House, Kim Jong Il’s villa.

Experts say that Kim Gye Gwan’s move into the village illustrates that he has joined the ranks of Kim Jong Il’s closest associates, together with First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok Ju.

Kim Gye Gwan reportedly won deep trust from Kim Jong Il by successfully freeing frozen assets in Banco Delta Asia at the Pyongyang-Washington talks in Berlin in January and the six-party talks.

Lee Ki-dong, senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy, said, “It appears that Kim Gye Gwan has won considerable trust from Kim Jong Il for turning around the relationship with the U.S. after last year’s nuclear test,” adding, “With the six-nation talks remaining in place, the status of Kang and Kim in the Foreign Ministry will remain firm.”

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