By Lee Min-hyung
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| Kim Hyok-chol, former North Korean ambassador to Spain |
Kim's presence came to the fore in mid-January when the lesser-known North Korean politician was caught in a photo at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump and the regime's top nuclear envoy, Kim Yong-chol.
The de facto new leader of the North's pre-summit working-level delegation is expected to meet with his U.S. counterpart, Steve Biegun, in the very near future to fine-tune details for the upcoming summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Washington and Pyongyang have not revealed any detailed schedule for the upcoming working-level dialogue ahead of the summit.
The latest working-level talks between the two sides took place for three days in Sweden from Jan. 19. At that time, the North's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui led the regime's delegation for pre-summit talks with the U.S. team headed by the American special representative for North Korea.
But with Kim Hyok-chol emerging as an apparent new leader of the regime's working-level delegation, speculation is rampant over why the regime suddenly brought him into the dialogue.
Shin Beom-chul, a senior director of the research unit at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said the North's real intention remains unknown, but it will have little impact on the ongoing denuclearization negotiations.
"The North's negotiation strategy will remain unchanged, as neither Kim Hyok-chol nor Choe has authority to make any final decisions over the denuclearization talks with the U.S.," the expert said.
Given the North's political structure, Kim Jong-un holds the key in making diplomatic decisions, and therefore, Kim Hyok-chol does not have enough influence on the ongoing Washington-Pyongyang denuclearization talks, Shin said.
The expert said that by changing Choe with Kim Hyok-chol, Pyongyang aims to change its negotiation pattern, as part of a move to take the initiative in the talks.
"Choe is a widely-known figure, compared with Kim Hyok-chol, so my view is that North Korea is seeking to gain leverage in the ongoing talks by bringing in the relatively-lesser-known official," the North Korea expert said.
Shin also shared the image of Kim Hyok-chol in a meeting with him at an international conference in Spain in 2017.
"Judging by his appearance, Kim Hyok-chol looked to be more cold-hearted than Choe," Shin said. "Such an image well represents the reclusive regime, but it is too early to judge him on his appearance. We need to see how the working-level negotiations unfold."
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