Kim Jong-un in danger. The leader of North Korea, the most armored country on the planet, risks being assassinated: this is why the security apparatus that protects the number 1 in Pyongyang has been further strengthened.
The hermit kingdom fears an attack on Kim’s life, according to news filtering from South Korean intelligence: the services shared the assessment during a parliamentary hearing, as reported by the South Korean agency Yonhap, citing deputies Lee Seong-kweun and Park Sun-won.
Jammers would be among the ‘weapons’ in the field to protect the North Korean leader, as well as “efforts to introduce drone detection equipment”, while judging by public appearances there would have been a sort of ‘promotion’ for the daughter, Kim Ju-ae.
Once the ‘little Kim’ would have been accompanied by Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader. The latter this year was the protagonist, according to North Korean intelligence, of 110 public activities, more than double compared to 2023.
The information relating to the dangers for the Kims comes at a crucial moment, in which North Korea takes a stand in the war that Russia has been fighting against Ukraine for almost 1000 days. Thousands of North Korean soldiers land in Russia, with the prospect of fighting against Kiev. At the same time, the hypothesis relating to a special trip is taking shape: to seal the alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang, the North Korean leader could soon return to Russia from Vladimir Putin.
Choe Son-hui, North Korea’s foreign minister, was in Vladivostok yesterday and is expected in Moscow today, Russian media reports, while news of the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia is chasing each other. And, according to information from the South Korean agency Yonhap, a possible visit by Kim to Russia could be among the topics on the agenda during Choe’s mission.
For the Russian embassy in North Korea, the visit is part of the “strategic dialogue” between the two countries. While the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, considers the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia a “security threat” and military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow “illegal”. The Kremlin, however, specifies that Putin does not have a meeting with Choe Son-hui on the agenda.
“It’s difficult to speculate since North Korea hasn’t clarified the agenda” of Choe’s visit, “but we anticipate possible coordination on specific responses to the deployment of troops in Russia,” an official from the Seoul Unification Ministry told Yonhap. And, the agency writes, many voices claim that Choe’s mission could include talks with Russian interlocutors to organize a possible visit by Kim to Moscow for a face-to-face meeting with Putin. “The parties are expected to discuss the joint response strategy after the US presidential elections and plan the agenda for Kim’s visit to Russia,” explained Hyun Seung-soo, deputy director of the Korea Institute for National Unification.
Kim visited Russia in September 2023 and hosted Putin in Pyongyang in June. According to Hyuan, Kim could be in Moscow as early as the beginning of next year.
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