[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] A photo of the meeting between North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping has reappeared on the bulletin board of the North Korean Embassy in China after more than a year.
On the 26th, the bulletin board next to the main gate of the North Korean Embassy in Beijing displayed not only a photo of the North Korea-China summit held in Beijing last January, showing Chairman Kim and President Xi meeting, but also a photo of President Xi and Chairman Kim having a conversation accompanied by their wives, Peng Liyuan and Ri Sol-ju. Additionally, there is a photo from June last year showing President Xi on a car parade with Chairman Kim in Pyongyang streets, receiving cheers from North Korean citizens during Xi’s visit to North Korea.
Previously, after the second North Korea-US summit held in Hanoi at the end of February last year ended without results, the North Korean Embassy in China removed photos of President Xi and replaced them with photos of Chairman Kim meeting the Vietnamese President. It has been a year since photos of the meeting between President Xi and Chairman Kim were displayed on the North Korean Embassy’s bulletin board.
The North Korean Embassy’s decision to display photos of Chairman Kim and President Xi’s meeting again after a year is intended to show the solidity of North Korea-China relations to the outside world. Given that North Korea’s economy is reportedly suffering significant damage due to the recent spread of COVID-19, this move can also be interpreted as an attempt to highlight North Korea-China relations once more in order to receive support from China. According to a Western foreign media outlet on the same day, North Korea secretly requested international assistance as its national healthcare system faced the risk of collapse due to the spread of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, on the 1st of last month, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Chairman Kim sent a letter of consolation to President Xi regarding the COVID-19 situation, revealing that North Korea and China remain closely connected. China also released reports earlier this month emphasizing that although some foreigners are leaving North Korea due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19 within the country, Chinese diplomats and journalists are all still stationed in North Korea.
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