Kim Song Nam, a member of the Workers’ Party of Korea’s Political Bureau and a secretary of its Central Committee, is leading a delegation to Beijing following North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s surprise visit to the Chinese city of Dandong last month. Increasingly frequent high-level exchanges between China and North Korea suggest the two countries are further strengthening bilateral ties.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Wednesday (4 November) that the Workers’ Party of Korea delegation led by Kim Song Nam arrived in Beijing on Tuesday (3 November) at the invitation of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee.
Yonhap News Agency reported that officials including Sun Haiyan, vice-minister of the CCP Central Committee’s International Department, and North Korean Ambassador to China Ri Ryong Nam welcomed the delegation at the airport.
KCNA did not disclose the delegation’s itinerary in China. Asked about Kim Song Nam’s visit at a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said, “I am not aware of the situation.” However, the Chinese Embassy in North Korea reposted KCNA’s report on the visit on its website on Wednesday.
Kim Song Nam is regarded as a North Korean expert on China. He visited China in March 2024 and met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. In September last year, he also accompanied Kim Jong Un to China’s military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
The latest visit comes only about 10 days after Kim Jong Un’s surprise trip to Dandong on 24 October. Citing diplomatic sources, Japan’s Kyodo News reported that Kim Song Nam’s visit was intended to strengthen ties between the Workers’ Party of Korea and the CCP. The two sides may also exchange views on the outcomes of the fifth plenary session of the 20th CCP Central Committee and future policy directions.
China and North Korea have also stepped up other exchanges recently. KCNA reported that a delegation led by Xie Chuntao, vice-president of the Party School of the CCP Central Committee, began a visit to Pyongyang on Monday (2 November). Ju Chang Il, a secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea Central Committee, met the delegation the following day.
Separately, a delegation led by KCNA Vice-President Pak Kwang Chol left for China on Tuesday to attend the seventh World Media Summit, to be held in Beijing from 5 to 9 November.
Relations between China and North Korea have continued to warm recently. Kim Jong Un visited China in September last year to attend the parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, while Chinese President Xi Jinping made a reciprocal visit to North Korea in June this year. Kim Jong Un travelled to China again last month, meeting Wang Huning, a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee and chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, in Dandong. Both sides expressed a willingness to expand economic and trade cooperation.
Yonhap’s analysis suggests that, against the backdrop of increasingly frequent high-level exchanges, Pyongyang hopes this series of engagements will further deepen friendly cooperation between the two countries’ ruling parties.
