Will Ban Ki-moon visit North Korea?

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Ri Su-yong may pave way for UN chief''s trip to NK

By Yi Whan-woo

The visit to China by senior North Korean official Ri Su-yong is fueling speculation that it could pave the way for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to travel to Pyongyang.

Analysts said Wednesday that the U.N. chief may be able to visit North Korea during the remainder of his term if North Korea shows signs of change following Ri’s China trip.

Ri, a vice chairman of the powerful Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party, is in Beijing as part of efforts to make a diplomatic breakthrough following the U.N. Security Council’s (UNSC) harshest sanctions on Pyongyang.

“North Korea has been making all-out efforts in diplomacy since it held a Workers’ Party Congress, sending two high-profile officials — Ri and Kim Young-nam — to China and African nations, respectively,” said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong University. “Against this backdrop, it’s possible Pyongyang may invite Ban while he is still in office.”

Ban has sought to visit the secretive state before his tenure at the U.N ends in December.

Park Young-ho, a senior researcher of the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, “It’s possible Ban will seek a politically-motivated trip to North Korea.”

The U.N. chief from South Korea called for a resumption of dialogue with North Korea during a visit to his home country last week.

Ban, a potential contender in the 2017 presidential election, also said he is “the only one who has been maintaining a dialogue channel with Pyongyang.”

Experts said North Korea’s policy of pursuing a nuclear weapons program and economic development at the same time may hamper any possible trip.

Ri, who arrived in Beijing Tuesday, reiterated such a policy in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Song Tao, who serves as the head of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China.

“If Ban pushes to visit North Korea despite its pursuit of nuclear weapons, it could be very controversial,” Park Won-gon said. “It should be noted that South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have been underscoring pressure on North Korea over dialogue in line with the UNSC sanctions.”

Park Young-ho said, “During Ri’s China trip, there should be at least a sign of Pyongyang’s interest in denuclearization talks if Ban’s visit to North Korea is to be realized.”

Ri is the highest-ranking North Korean official to visit China since Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6. It also launched a rocket, which was suspected to be a ballistic missile, on Feb. 7.

Park Won-gon said a fifth North Korean nuclear test and firing of a KN-08 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) will “blow away Ban’s hope to visit Pyongyang.” North Korea has been developing a nuclear-tipped ICBM to strike the U.S. mainland.

“I don’t think firing short-range missiles and Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles will affect Ban’s plan to go to North Korea but a nuclear test and launch of an ICBM will be completely a different story,” he said.