May 31, 2023
News

Amid purge reports, Kim Yong Chol reappears alongside North Korean leader

Longtime DPRK-U.S. interlocuter was last week reported to have been sent to labor, re-education camp

Top North Korean official Kim Yong Chol appeared in public alongside DPRK leader Kim Jong Un at a musical performance on Sunday, the country's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, potentially defying reports last week that he had been the victim of a high-profile purge earlier in the year.

In a report on an art performance given by wives of officers of units of the Korean People's Army (KPA), the North Korean leader was accompanied by several top officials, including Kim Yong Chol, who serves as a vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the country's ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).