'NK leader may visit China for summit talks'

By Yi Whan-woo

Kim Jong-un

Speculation is growing that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may visit China and meet President Xi Jinping amid thawing bilateral ties.

Some experts said the two leaders may meet in Beijing in November at the earliest, although Pyongyang’s long-range rocket program and nuclear ambitions will remain obstacles.

If realized, it will be Kim Jong-un’s first official visit to another country as North Korean leader.

“It’s possible Kim Jong-un will go to Beijing in November or in spring next year at the latest, given that Xi hinted at inviting the North Korean leader in his message last week,” said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University.

Xi offered to bolster dialogue among top-ranked Communist Party officials of the two nations in a message congratulating the North Korean Communist Party on its 70th anniversary, Saturday.

Xi is one of seven highest-ranking members of the Chinese Communist Party’s Standing Committee of the Political Bureau.

Kim Jong-un co-serves as the first secretary of the Workers’ Party, the official name for Pyongyang’s Communist Party.

An Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies, agreed with Kim Yong-hyun.

“It is expected that the North Korean leader will visit Beijing within a month in response to Xi’s offer,” An said. “If that’s not the case, he may go there before next April when things will start to get busy in North Korea.”

An pointed out the dictatorial regime will mark the 104th birthday of its late founder Kim Il-sung on April 15.

Meanwhile, some observers said a breakthrough to resolve Pyongyang’s military aggression will be essential for Kim to take a trip to Beijing.

“China sees North Korea’s military aggression, especially its long-range rocket, disturbing because the United States may use it as an excuse to deploy its advanced missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula,” said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong University.

The U.S has claimed the possible deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is to deter North Korea’s missile attack.

Pyongyang has argued its long-range rocket program is for peaceful space development, but Washington suspects it is merely a cover for a ballistic missile tests.

Beijing has protested that THAAD’s long-range radar could be used to spy on its military activities.

“I don’t think China would accept Kim’s visit unless such issues are settled in advance,” he said.

Park also pointed out that China expressed hope to resume the dormant six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear program during Liu Yunshan’s visit to Pyongyang last week.

Liu is fifth-ranked official of the Chinese Communist Party’s Standing Committee of the Political Bureau.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor of the University of North Korean studies, said working-level talks should be preceded to resume dialogue among top Communist Party officials of the two sides.

“Through the working-level talks, the two countries will be able to coordinate issues on North Korea’s long-range rocket and nuclear threats. China will then allow Kim Jong-un to come to Beijing,” Yang said.

An said the preconditions for the Pyongyang-Beijing summit already have been met, claiming North Korea will not carry out a rocket launch or its fourth nuclear test until at least next year. The previous three tests took place in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

“Party-to-party relations are much more important than the government-to-government ties among the communist countries,” he said.

“Xi’s message and Liu’s visit to North Korea mean party-to-party relations between the two allies will be strong, as they once had been.

“Pyongyang’s military aggression is partly aimed at winning diplomatic support from Beijing. And it will have no reason to defy China for the time being.”

It was seen that the Pyongyang-Beijing ties were at their lowest level after Kim Jong-un succeeded the three-generation lineage of North Korean leadership beginning from Kim Il-sung.

In 2013, North Korea apparently angered China when it carried out its third nuclear test in February and then executed Jang Song-thaek in December. Jang, Kim Jong-un’s uncle, was the country’s second-in-command and led the pro-China faction there.

China snubbed North Korea in July 2014 when Xi visited Seoul over Pyongyang in his first foreign trip since he took presidency in 2013.