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North Korea’s senior official overseeing inter-Korean relations started a three-day trip to South Korea on Thursday to discuss implementation of rapprochement measures agreed upon at a recent summit between the two countries.

Kim Yang-gon, 69, director of the United Front Department of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, arrived in Seoul on November 29. Kim’s visit was made at the request of the South’s Unification Minister Lee Jae-jeong on November 28. Kim is considered to be one of Kim Jong-il’s closest confidants. He was the only North Korean official who participated in the October 2-4 summit between President Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang.

Kim Yang-gon’s visit to Seoul is expected to speed up inter-Korean relations. The two Koreas have improved their relations following the second summit in 2000.

Kim’s visit is similar to that of Kim Yong-soon, Pyongyang’s point man for inter-Korean affairs, who visited in September, 2000, shortly after the June 15 summit. At that time, Kim Yong-soon, then-secretary of the North’s Workers’ Party, visited Seoul as Kim Jong-il’s special envoy. He met with high-ranking officials, including former National Intelligence Service director Lim Dong-won, and the South and North reached agreements over the course of a defense ministers’ meeting and a visit to the South by North’s economic delegation.

Kim Yong-soon was also the North’s only participant in the first inter-Korean summit in 2000. Both men are Kim Jong-il’s closest aides and are both key officials in power. Kim Yong-sun died in October 2003 in a car accident and Kim Yang-gon became the director of the United Front Department in March.

Kim Yang-gon came to Seoul in the capacity of director of the United Front Department, not as a special envoy. In comparing the development of inter-Korean relations after the two summits, it is possible that the two Koreas may not need a special envoy this time. During his visit, Kim Yong-soon was charged with resolving inter-Korean issues, including resumption of defense ministers’ talks, but there are no such issues which need to be resolved by Kim Yang-gon. The two Koreas fine-tuned a road map for implementing the joint-declaration announced at the second summit during prime ministers’ talks on November 14-16. Unification Minister Lee said that there are no urgent tasks for Kim Yang-gon because inter-Korean relations are rapidly improving.

As Kim’s visit to Seoul is aimed at discussing ways to implement the agreements reached at the second summit and inspecting industrial sites, progress is expected to be made on issues surrounding joint shipbuilding districts and the Gaeseong (Kaesong) Industrial Complex. Kim is reportedly planning to visit industrial facilities, including Geoje shipbuilding complex, and to meet with local businessmen.

It also is possible that Kim will hold talks with Minister Lee and NIS Director Kim Man-bok to discuss sensitive issues such as that of a three- or four-party summit organized to declare an end to the Korean War and a visit to South Korea by Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Presidium of the North Korean Supreme People’s Assembly.

Kim Seong-bae, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy, remarked, “Kim’s visit to Seoul will accelerate inter-Korean discussions on all levels related to implementation of the 2007 joint declaration. It is anticipated that Inter-Korean relations will rapidly improve.”

A government official said that the two Koreas would be able to raise a variety of issues between them, most likely referring to the atmosphere of increased cooperation between the two Koreas.

Regarding the fact that Kim Yang-gon’s visit is just 20 days ahead of the presidential election, some experts noted that it could have an effect.



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