Exclusive Insights: North Korea’s Choi Son-hee Heads to Russia – What’s at Stake in This High-Stakes Diplomatic Visit

Delivery time2024-10-30 22:40

Amid the controversy over sending troops to North Korea, the visit of the head of foreign affairs was emphasized as a normal diplomatic practice.

(Moscow = Yonhap News) Correspondent Choi In-young = Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova announced on the 30th (local time) that North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui will hold strategic discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.

According to Reuters and TASS, Spokesperson Zakharova said in a briefing that day that Foreign Minister Choi is on an official visit to Russia and that specific details and schedule for the meeting will be announced later.

He explained that Foreign Minister Choi is scheduled to arrive in Moscow to hold strategic discussions with Minister Lavrov following the agreement reached at the North Korea-Russia summit last June.

Foreign Minister Choi, who departed Pyongyang on the 28th, stayed in Vladivostok in the Russian Far East the day before. Citing sources, the RIA Novosti news agency reported the previous day that Foreign Minister Choi was scheduled to meet Russian officials in Moscow on the 30th.

Foreign Minister Choi is expected to coordinate diplomatic responses to North Korea’s deployment of troops to Russia and discuss North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia and the U.S. presidential election held next month. There are also predictions that expanding the scale of deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine is an agenda for discussion.

When asked whether Foreign Minister Choi’s visit was related to the situation in Ukraine, Spokesperson Zakharova simply replied, “Reciprocal visits between foreign ministers are a normal diplomatic practice.”

He went on to say that Russia and North Korea aim to regularly discuss bilateral issues and international issues within the framework of the ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty’ and the results of the North Korea-Russia summit, adding, “Another visit to Russia by Foreign Minister Choi is planned.”

He also added that Russia is engaging in foreign minister-level contacts and discussing bilateral and international issues with other friendly countries.

Foreign Minister Choi also made an official visit to Russia last January. At the time, Foreign Minister Choi stayed in Moscow for five days and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Minister Lavrov, and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.

Last month, while attending the Eurasian Women’s Forum and BRICS Women’s Forum held in St. Petersburg, Russia, I stopped by Moscow and met with Minister Lavrov.

It has not been revealed who Foreign Minister Choi will meet other than Minister Lavrov during this official visit. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing the previous day that President Putin had no plans to meet with Foreign Minister Choi.

When asked if ratifying the North Korea-Russia treaty meant revising Russia’s position on the UN Security Council’s sanctions against North Korea, Spokesperson Zakharova said, “There is nothing unusual about the treaty signed by North Korea and Russia, as it involves cooperation in various fields, including security.” said.

He then pointed out that the international community’s sanctions against North Korea had failed and were “ineffective at any stage.” He also claimed that sanctions “have not led to any results” regarding the goal of resolving the Korean Peninsula issue.

“Russia, as a responsible member of the international community, has no interest in worsening the current security crisis or creating new crises,” he added.

abbie@yna.co.kr

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2024/10/30 22:40 Sent