Kim Jong Un Likely to Return Home on Day of China Visit; Ruling Camp: "Aims Are North Korea-U.S. Dialogue and a North Korea-China Event"

Ruling-party official: "Return home today almost certain"... Short visit expected
Positive signal on North Korea-U.S. summit; New Yalu River Bridge opening in focus
Who Kim meets in China draws interest

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who made a surprise visit to China for the first time in more than a year, is expected to return home on the 24th after concluding his visit.

Yonhap News

A ruling-party official said on the 24th, "It seems almost certain that Chairman Kim will return home today."

The official speculated that Kim's visit to China was intended both to send a positive signal regarding a North Korea-U.S. summit and to hold a symbolic event in North Korea-China relations.

"I believe there are two purposes: sending a positive signal regarding a North Korea-U.S. summit and holding an event related to North Korea-China ties, such as the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge," the official explained.

The official also noted that the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is being held in China, and said, "There is no reason for him to stay long for an event marking the bridge's opening." This has led to speculation that the visit will not last long.

However, who Kim meets in China is seen as the key variable in this visit. "This will be a very short visit," the official said. "Who he meets in China is important, and we will have to wait and see."

Meanwhile, the National Intelligence Service is known to have briefed the chair of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee and the ruling and opposition parties' floor leaders on the possibility of Kim's visit to China at the committee meeting the previous day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.