NK leaders top aide on way to Russia flies back to Pyongyang SEOUL/MOSCOW, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un(คิม จองอึน 김정은 金正恩)s special envoy embarked on a high-profile eight-day trip to Russia on Monday, but has flown back to Pyongyang due to a presumed technical glitch on his plane, diplomatic sources said. Choe Ryong-hae(เช รยง-เฮ 崔龍海), the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) secretary, left Pyongyang for Russia earlier in the day, accompanied by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan(คิม เค-กวาน金桂冠), Vice Economy Minister Ri Kwang-gun(รี ควาง-กึน李光根), and No Kwang-chol(โน ควาง-ชอล 鲁光哲), deputy chief of the General Staff of the Norths military, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The Norths delegation was supposed to arrive at Sheremetyevo International Airport at around 2 p.m. (Moscow Time), but the delegation did not show up at the airport, according to the sources. The special plane that left Pyongyang in the morning has flown back to Pyongyang, a diplomatic source in Moscow said. There might be problems in the fuselage, but the exact cause for flying back is not known. Another source said that it is unknown whether the returned plane left Pyongyang again for Russia, adding that if it took off, the delegation may arrive in Russia late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. Choes planned visit comes amid speculation that Pyongyang is in desperate need of Moscows diplomatic and economic support. The delay in his trip is expected to push back a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow that is supposed to take place Tuesday. The North Korean leaders dispatch of Choe, one of his closest aides, as his special envoy has drawn keen international attention, coming at a sensitive time for Pyongyangs diplomacy.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 15:34:05 +0000
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