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Sun, May 28, 2023 | 20:23
Top NK diplomat's Europe tour bears little fruit
北강석주 유럽 순방 종료…"고위급 접촉 대부분 불발"
Posted : 2014-09-16 18:53
Updated : 2014-09-16 19:58
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Kang Sok-ju
Kang Sok-ju
High-ranking North Korean diplomat Kang Sok-ju has completed a 10-day tour to Europe but the trip yielded little progress, according to Voice of America on Tuesday.

Kang found it impossible to meet major political figures, something he had hoped to do in an attempt to alleviate the country's international isolation, said VOA, the U.S. state-run official external broadcast institution, Tuesday (Korea Standard Time).

South Korea's foreign ministry said prior to Kang's departure on Sept. 6 that the 75-year-old diplomat was expected to visit Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy.

Given Kang's status in the North's political hierarchy, there was speculation regarding the significance of his tour.

His visit to Europe, however, proved fruitless since Kang failed to meet any government officials except one in Switzerland, according to VOA.

In Germany, his first destination, Kang met members of the Social Democratic Party.

Kang managed to hold a meeting in his second destination, Belgium, with Elmar Brok, the chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Stavros Lambrinidis, EU special representative for human rights, but they only restated their earlier criticism of North Korea's nuclear program and its human rights abuses.

Kang was finally able to meet State Secretary Yves Rossier in his third destination, Switzerland. However, Switzerland's foreign ministry downplayed the significance of the meeting, saying it was an ordinary meeting between nations with diplomatic ties.

Italy's foreign ministry said Monday in an email to VOA that none of its officials had any plans to meet the North Korean diplomat.


北강석주 유럽 순방 종료…"고위급 접촉 대부분 불발"

북한 강석주 노동당 국제담당 비서가 유럽 순방을 마쳤지만 대부분 국가에서 고위급 접촉이 불발돼 뚜렷한 성과를 내지 못했다고 미국의소리(VOA) 방송이 16일 보도했다.

강 비서는 지난 6일부터 열흘간 독일·벨기에·스위스·이탈리아 등 방문했지만, 스위스를 제외한 3개국에서 정부 고위 당국자를 만나지 못하고 주로 정당 관계자와 회동을 했다고 VOA가 밝혔다.

강 비서는 첫 방문국이었던 독일에서 정부 당국자와 회동 없이 사회민주당 국제위원장 등 정당 관계자들만 만났다.

벨기에에서는 엘마르 브록 유럽의회 외교위원장과 스타브로스 람브리니디스 유럽연합(EU) 인권특별대표를 만났지만 북한의 핵·인권 문제에 대한 유럽의 비판적 입장을 확인하는 자리가 됐다.

강 비서는 스위스에서 이브 로씨에 외무차관을 만났지만 스위스 외무부는 VOA에 이 회동은 '수교국 간 정례 정치대화 차원에서 이뤄진 것으로 최소한의 수준에 진행됐으며 이례적인 것은 아니다'라고 밝혔다.

마지막 순방국인 이탈리아에서도 강 비서와 정부 당국자와의 만남은 이뤄지지 않았다.

이탈리아 외무부는 15일 VOA에 보낸 이메일에서 '어떤 이탈리아 관리도 강 비서를 만나지 않았기 때문에 제공할 소식이 없다'고 밝혔다.

강 비서의 이번 유럽 순방은 방문국 정당과의 당 대 당 교류 차원에서 추진되는 것으로 전해졌지만 북한의 외교 수장인 강 비서가 열흘간의 긴 일정에도 고위급 대화를 갖지 못한 것은 이례적이라고 VOA가 전했다. (연합뉴스)
Emailklenboarder@gmail.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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