Kim Jong Un appears to be making the most of the opportunity to break out of diplomatic isolation that was leading Pyongyang exclusively into “Moscow’s embrace,” primarily achieving a warming of relations with China by attending the major military parade in Beijing commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan in World War II. However, the opportunity also arose for a handshake of potentially “significant” importance with South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.
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Putin’s proposal to South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker
The news, characterized by Sky News as “unexpected,” became known through a briefing from the Seoul official. Woo also met with President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, and the Russian leader asked him if there was any message he could convey to Kim, according to Woo’s office. Woo responded by saying it is “very important” now to build peace on the Korean Peninsula, despite the difficult conditions. Before departing for Beijing, Woo had stated that he wasn’t sure if he could meet Kim, but that if he did, he would want to discuss with the North Korean leader how to build peace on the Korean Peninsula, as reported by Reuters.
