BEIJING - Two aides to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Beijing after mid-July in trips believed to be linked to construction projects, sources familiar with China-North Korea relations said Sunday.
Their China visits were not covered by North Korea's state-run media, making it rare for the movements of Kim's aides to become known outside official reports. The two often accompany the leader during his inspections of construction projects in North Korea.
The visits suggest economic exchanges between Beijing and Pyongyang are normalizing, despite speculation that bilateral relations may have recently become strained as North Korea deepens its military ties with Russia.
China is North Korea's closest and most influential ally in economic terms, but mutual visits of senior officials have been relatively rare in recent times, even since the lifting of strict travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two aides are Kim Bok Nam, a senior military officer and brigade commander, and an unnamed senior official of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, according to the sources. They visited the Chinese capital for four days from July 12.
The senior party official then traveled to Beijing alone on Aug. 2 and returned to Pyongyang three days later. Their detailed itinerary in China remains unknown.
In June, the two accompanied Kim Jong Un when the leader inspected hospitals and a leisure complex under construction in Pyongyang.
Since December last year, Kim Bok Nam has frequently traveled with Kim Jong Un to the sites of major construction projects, including the Wonsan Kalma tourist area on the east coast, which opened in July, media reports showed.
The unnamed senior party official was first covered by official media in June this year. On Aug. 1, he accompanied Kim Jong Un to a large-scale greenhouse farm near Sinuiju in the northwestern part of the country.
