Kim highlights North Korea-China ties in reply to Xi

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a reply to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sept. 23, thanking Xi and emphasizing North Korea-China friendship and cooperation, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The move came after Kim suggested conditional talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in his Sept. 21 speech to the Supreme People’s Assembly, underscoring his close engagement with China. Analysts say Kim seems to be actively managing ties with both U.S. and Chinese leaders, as the two are set to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit next month in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

According to the news agency, Kim wrote in his Sept. 21 reply that attending China’s 80th Victory Day parade earlier this month and meeting Xi was a “significant encounter,” and he said he felt “the unwavering support and special friendship of the Chinese Party, government, and people.” He added, “It is the firm and unchanging position of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to further strengthen and develop the traditional North Korea-China friendship and cooperative relationship in line with the demands of the times.” The reply was 499 characters, up from 336 in last year’s anniversary note, and it reintroduced the word “cooperation,” omitted the previous year.

KCNA reported the reply a day after Kim’s Supreme People’s Assembly speech, and it also appeared on the front page of Rodong Sinmun, the Workers’ Party newspaper widely read by North Korean citizens. Observers say the timing may have been aimed at avoiding overlap with messages to the U.S. regarding conditional dialogue if Washington abandons its insistence on denuclearization, while giving greater emphasis to the message to Xi. A South Korean Unification Ministry official told reporters on Sept. 23, “Kim Jong Un has been sending messages full of confidence following his visit to China.”


Na-Ri Shin journari@donga.com