What you're seeing on your screen is a live
shot of South Korea's main gateway, Incheon
International... where expected to have touched
down at half past one p.m. here in South Korea...
is Kim Yo-jong... the only sibling of North
Korean leader Kim Jong-un who has been in
the media spotlight... along with over 20
high-level officials from North Korea... on
her brother's private plane.
It's now xx past one on a Friday afternoon
here in Seoul... and live on site at Incheon
International for us... is Ji Myung-kil, our
unification ministry correspondent - the South
Korean government in charge of North Korean
affairs.
Myung-kil, that is where the global media
are focused.
We are witnessing history being written.
What are you seeing?
What are you hearing?
What are you feeling?
Conn-young.
Yes, given the historic nature of this visit,...
there's lot of electricity in the air here.
We are hearing that Kim Yo-jong landed here
at Incheon International Airport within the
past minutes and will be greeted by South
Korea's unification minister.
As you mentioned,... she used her brother's
private jet to come with three other top officials
flying over the West Sea and into Incheon.
From the airport she will likely go straight
to PyeongChang to attend the Winter Olympics
opening ceremony in the evening.
She's here with the North's ceremonial head
of state Kim Yong-nam... the chairman of the
National Sports Guidance Committee Choe Hwi...
and the head of the North's committee in charge
of inter-Korean affairs Ri Song-gwon.
Before her arrival there had been a lot of
controversy as Kim Yo-jong is blacklisted
by U.S. and Choe Hwi is under UN Security
Council sanctions,... but those measures have
been waived just for this occasion.
The 30-year old Kim, who has seen her profile
within the regime rise steadily since 2014,
was promoted to North Korea's politburo last
year.
And there seems to be speculation Kim Yo-jong
might deliver a message to President Moon
Jae-in from her brother regarding inter-Korean
ties or even North Korea's nuclear programs?
Yes that's right.
South Korea's presidential office has confirmed
that she will be meeting with President Moon
on Saturday.
We are yet to find out where they will meet,
but if the meeting goes well... some experts
say the visit could lay the foundations for
a possible inter-Korean summit between President
Moon and Kim Jong-un.
But we should stress that the summit talk
is all speculation for the moment.
However, given her family ties to the young
dictator... experts believe Kim Yo-jong's
remarks could be taken to directly represent
Kim Jong-un’s current position on inter-Korean
relations.
Her visit alone could be a message from the
North of its desire to mend ties with South
Korea.
The bilateral meeting would symbolize a recovery
of inter-Korean ties as Kim Jong-un said in
his New Year's address that he badly wants
to improve relations with South Korea.
If the two Koreas decide to hold a bilateral
summit after the Winter Olympics... it would
mark the third of its kind and first under
the Kim Jong-un regime.
The first was held between President Kim Dae-jung
and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on June
15th, 2000 and the second was held between
President Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Jong-il on
October 4th, 2007.
Back to you.
