Ri Tcheul,
Permanent Representative of North Korean Mission in Geneva |
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
A veteran North Korean diplomat in Geneva, Switzerland, who managed the purse strings of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, will step down soon, Yonhap News Agency reported Wednesday.
What prompted Ri Tcheul, a key aide who has served as permanent representative of the North Korean mission in Geneva, to wrap up his 30-year diplomatic mission there, remains unclear.
A diplomatic source in Geneva said that Ri is said to be leaving soon, but that the exact date has yet to be confirmed, according to the report. It could be later this month, or he could stay a month longer than that, he added.
Some North Korea watchers said no political considerations seemed to be behind the decision, given that the 75-year-old has been there for the past three decades.
Some said that the North's heir-apparent, Kim Jong-un, might want to replace Ri with a younger aide.
Cheong Seong-chang, senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute in Seoul, said the majority of Jong-un's aides are in their 60s. He did not rule out the possibility that Ri's replacement might be one of them.
As a mission station, Switzerland is a unique location for North Korean diplomats.
"Switzerland is a neutral nation. This is important for the North because the European country is believed to be free of influence from the United States," Cheong said.
"The other reason that makes the diplomatic mission in Switzerland special is that many dictators deposit money into Swiss bank accounts."
Earlier, reports said that Kim was storing money in two Swiss banks ― UBS and Credit Suisse. North Korea denied this.
"The fact that Ri managed Kim's financial resources implies he enjoyed considerable confidence from the North Korean leader," Cheong said.
"There seems to be no doubt that Ri is one of the closest aides to Kim."
Kim Pyong-il, who is Kim Jong-il's cousin and currently serves as North Korean ambassador to Poland, visited Switzerland to get living expenses and money from Ri, he said.
In addition to financial affairs, Ri's role for Kim and his family was extensive.
He was involved in bringing a French medical team to North Korea to treat Kim Jong-il when he reportedly suffered from a stroke in 2008, according to Cheong.
Ri also helped Kim decide to let his four children ― three sons, including Jong-un, and a daughter ― attend the International School of Bern in Switzerland.
hkang@koreatimes.co.kr
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yistory@koreatimes.co.kr
