The father-in-law is the ambassador, the uncle is the chief of staff… New ambassador to China’North Korean version of gold spoon’

Lee Yong-nam (61), who was unveiled by the North Korean Foreign Ministry as the new Chinese ambassador on the 19th, is a former vice-premier of the cabinet. After 11 years, he replaced the weekly Ambassador Ji Jae-ryong, who came to the country in 2010.

A government official said, “Since Chairman Kim Jong-un has recently delivered greetings, except for three or four senior politicians, people over 70 years of age are retired.” “The change of Ambassador Ji seems to be part of a generational change.” Ambassador Ji was born in 1942 and is 79 years old this year.

According to Congressman Tae Young-ho, Lee Yong-nam’s father-in-law was Jeon Myung-soo, who served as Chinese ambassador for seven years from 1977. Following the Chinese ambassador, Jeon Myung-soo served as the first director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After 40 years, the son-in-law goes to the same position after the craftsman. Lee Yong-nam was selected as a trader (minister, current foreign economy prize) at the age of 48 in 2008. Later, in the Kim Jong-un era, he was appointed vice-prime minister in charge of trade in the cabinet and held the position of vice-premier until last year.

North Korea did not disclose to the Chinese ambassador the background of the selection of trade troughs. However, there are observations among North Korean sources that his family background played a part in his position as an ambassador to China following the vice prime minister in charge of trade.

In North Korea, which has practiced Songun politics, the military’s breath is strong, but Yongnam’s uncle is Lee Myung-soo, an advisor to the People’s Armed Forces, who served as chief of staff during the Kim Jong-il-Kim Jong-un era. It is also circulating among North Korean sources that Lee Yong-nam’s brother-in-law (Jeon Seung-hoon) was involved in the North Korean version of the Prince’s Party, a group of second generation senior executives who pledged loyalty to the highest leadership. Lee Yong-nam came from a representative gold spoon family in North Korea.

After graduating from Pyongyang Institute of Foreign Studies, Yongnam Lee said he majored in Thai at Beijing University in China. Rep. Tae Young-ho said, “Lee Yong-nam graduated from (Pyongyang) Foreign Language Institute (secondary course) and studied at Peking University. His wife majored in English at the Beijing University of Foreign Studies, so both couples are fluent in Chinese and English.” After graduating, I went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and worked for a mission in Thailand, but when I returned home, I moved to the Ministry of Trade.”

In North Korea, they prefer to’touch’ foreign currency. This suggests that Lee Yong-nam was initially assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but moved to the Ministry of Trade by the action of the’invisible hand’ and eventually rose to the Deputy Prime Minister.

Government authorities are paying attention to the appointment of Lee Yong-nam, a representative trade expert in the Kim Jong-un era, as the ambassador to China. To date, North Korea has dispatched 13 ambassadors to China at the level of vice-ministers or higher from the Party’s International Ministry or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is mainly because it is important to discuss political and diplomatic issues between the two countries. On the other hand, although it is said that Lee Yong-nam was a diplomat, it was only a short time when he was a new recruit, and as he served as the vice prime minister in charge of trade, it is considered a trade channel.

North Korea, who is in isolation due to international sanctions against North Korea and a novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19), honors China by raising its status as a “deputy prime minister-level ambassador to China”, and then seeking an escape from the economic sanctions phase through a trade ambassador It is pointed out. Rep. Tae said, “Sending the deputy prime minister as an ambassador is to send a clear indication to Chinese President Xi Jinping that they value China.” “(North Korea) means that in relation to China, trade and free economic aid will be the basis.” Analyzed. Rep. Tae said, “North Korea has always used an interpreter because of the concern that the Chinese ambassador will go to the Chinese side, and it has not sent to the Chinese ambassador a person who is a Chinese student or who is good at Chinese.” He pointed out that the reason he sent the two fluent couples to China was because they needed trade experts in diplomacy with China.”

Reporter Jeong Yong-soo [email protected]