hankyoreh

marking the seventieth anniversary of China’s war victory over Japan

The North Korean delegation that attended China’s military parade was headed by Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae.

On Sep. 3, Choe was present at the military parade on the parapet of Tiananmen - the Gate of Heavenly Peace - in Beijing. Choe was standing almost at the end of the line of dignitaries, to the right side of Chinese President Xi Jinping. This was a sharp contrast with Park Geun-hye, who was only one person away from Xi.

There is speculation that China‘s decision to position the North Korean envoy toward the end of the line of dignitaries reflects China’s relations with North Korea, which have been chilly in recent years.

Another interpretation is that China placed Choe at some distance from Park out of consideration for the South Korean president.

But it‘s also possible that, considering that Choe was just an envoy, and not the leader of North Korea, his position on the parapet should not necessarily be seen as a snub. When China announced on Aug. 25 the figures who would be attending its ceremony commemorating the victory over Japan in World War II, its inclusion of Choe in a list of 30 national leaders including Park and Russian President Vladimir Putin was regarded as a sign of respect.

Choe arrived in Beijing on Wednesday after a layover in Shenyang, flying on Air Koryo. The North Korean delegation also included Ministry of People’s Armed Forces First Deputy Director No Kwang-chol and Vice Foreign Minister Lee Kil-song.

Choe reportedly attended the official dinner for head delegates on Wednesday and briefly greeted Xi during the military parade on Thursday, but it was not confirmed whether he had a separate meeting with Xi.

Choe met Xi when he visited Beijing in May 2013 as a special envoy for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The North Korea media briefly reported that Choe visited China, but they did not mention Park‘s visit or her attendance at the military parade.

On Thursday, the spokesperson for North Korea’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland expressed irritation about Park‘s reference to the landmine incident in the DMZ during her summit with Xi and urged her to “think carefully about what she says and does.” However, the spokesperson only mentioned that Park was traveling overseas at the time without providing any specifics about the place or circumstances of the comment.

“Continuing without hesitation to make irresponsible comments that go against the spirit of the inter-Korean agreement and that run contrary to current trends is a very serious situation that will prevent us from predicting the future of inter-Korean relations,” the committee spokesperson was quoted as saying by North Korea’s state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA).

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]