North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent China trip signals confidence and a readiness to break his silence on the diplomatic stage, a Democratic Party lawmaker said Monday.
Kim's trip, made Saturday by crossing the Yalu River, appears to signal that the leader will no longer remain quiet diplomatically and may be ready for more active engagement, Rep. Youn Kun-young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said in a radio interview with MBC. Youn worked as an aide to former President Moon Jae-in and is a member of the Intelligence Committee of the National Assembly.
"Kim had kept a low profile on the diplomatic front since his Hanoi summit (with US President Donald Trump in 2019)," Youn said, adding that Kim's trip to China "marks his return to summit diplomacy in a more confident, assertive manner."
Kim's confidence could stem from North Korea's stabilizing economy, which recorded a growth rate above 3 percent for three consecutive years until 2025, Youn said.
North Korea's deepening ties with Russia, in the wake of its troop deployment to fight alongside Russian forces against Ukraine, has contributed to the stabilization, Youn said, adding that the recent completion of the New Yalu River Bridge and Kim's visit there could signal Pyongyang's normalization of ties with Beijing, to the level that it could "show that sanctions on North Korea will effectively be neutralized."
However, Youn said that characterizing Saturday's trip as implying the possibility of a reunion between Kim and Trump on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation events in China would be an "exaggerated interpretation."
According to Youn, one could argue the likelihood of North Korea-US dialogue remains low because North Korea's economy is self-sufficient. On the other hand, one could also claim that North Korea might prioritize regime stability and therefore engage in talks with the US.
Kim chose to go ahead with the China trip, knowing that Chinese President Xi Jinping would be absent, Youn said, as the crucial fifth plenum of the Chinese Communist Party was imminent at the time of Kim's brief trip.
"Even without Xi’s presence, the occasion serves as an ideal moment to emphasize the alliance and declare the normalization of North Korea-China relations," Youn said.
"North Korea clearly viewed this as a strategic move that could work to its advantage."
China, in return, will bring the strategic region on its eastern border "under its control" through its deeper ties with North Korea, given its sensitivity to its border region's influence from the West, according to Youn.
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