Cho Yong-won, Standing Committee Member of the Political Bureau of the Workers’ Party of Korea and Secretary of the Central Committee—widely considered a closest aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un—visited Russia on the 14th leading a party and government delegation.
According to Kyodo News, Cho departed for Russia from Pyongyang International Airport that day. High-ranking North Korean officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and International Department Secretary Kim Sung-nam, along with Andrey Leonidovich Podolyashev, Russian Ambassador to North Korea, saw off Party Secretary Cho at the airport, Kyodo reported.
Cho’s visit is known to be in response to an invitation from Dmitry Medvedev, leader of Russia’s ruling United Russia party.
Kyodo News reported that the visit is expected to reaffirm bilateral strengthening between North Korea and Russia through talks with Medvedev. However, specific travel itineraries have not been confirmed.
Cho is known as a core aide who assists Chairman Kim from the closest distance.
He has risen to positions such as Political Bureau Standing Committee member, Party Secretary, and Central Military Commission member, and was elected as the Chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly—equivalent to South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker—last March. Just three months later in June, he moved to his current position as Party Organization Secretary.
