*** TOPIC OF THE WEEK (Part 1)

N. Korea's Premier Visits Northeastern China to Boost Economic Cooperation

SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korean Premier Choe Yong-rim made an eight-day trip to China in early November that is seen as aimed at expanding economic cooperation between the two neighboring countries. His Nov. 1-8 trip was confirmed days later by the North's official media, which described the nature of his journey as an "unofficial working visit."

   China is North Korea's foremost benefactor, providing energy and food as well as strong political supporter. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il visited the neighboring ally twice this year, the latest visit in August, underscoring the deepening relations between the two sides amid international sanctions tightening against Pyongyang over its second nuclear test and missile firing.

   The premier's trip to China was reminiscent of Kim's earlier trips to major cities and industrial facilities in three Chinese provinces in May and August. In this sense, Choe's trip was seen as aimed at fleshing out economic cooperation agreements that Kim struck in those cities.

   The 79-year-old premier's trip came after the two countries significantly commemorated the 65th birthday of the North's ruling Workers' Party of (North) Korea (WPK) on Oct. 10 and the 60th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers' entry into the Korean War on Oct. 25.

   Choe was promoted by North Korean leader Kim at a parliamentary convention in June and is known to be a key aide to North Korea's next leader and Kim's youngest son, Kim Jong-un.

   Before North Korea's official media report, China's Xinhua News Agency reported on Nov. 3 that a North Korean delegation led by Premier Choe was visiting China's northeast region. The report said Choe held talks with Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang in Changchun, Jilin Province, where Zhang conveyed Beijing's support in "expansion of cooperation and joint development between North Korea and China's northeast region."

   It was known that Premier Choe took a charter flight to Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, from Pyongyang and returned home from the northeastern Chinese port city of Dalian after touring industrial facilities in the region.

   In addition to a visit to Harbin, Choe's eight-day trip included stops in the three major cities in northeastern China: Changchun, Jilin Province; Shenyang, Liaoning Province; and Dalian, Liaoning Province.

   Choe's delegation also included Vice Premier Ro Tu-chol and other economic technocrats. Sources said the scale of the delegation was rather big, comprising some 30 delegates.

   Choe, a former chief of the Pyongyang chapter of the WPK, has been noted for his rise to power in the past several months. He gave a speech at a mass rally on May 30, where as many as 100,000 North Koreans reportedly denounced South Korea and the United States for blaming Pyongyang for the sinking of a South Korean warship in March.

   Belatedly, North Korea confirmed on Nov. 4 that its premier met with a Chinese vice premier during his "unofficial working visit" to northeastern China, where he is trying to strengthen economic ties between the communist allies. In a report, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Premier Choe held talks on Nov. 3 with Zhang, a vice premier of the State Council of China in Changchun, Jilin Province.

   In a separate report, China's official Xinhua News Agency quoted Zhang as saying that his government "supports the expansion of cooperation and joint development between the (North) and China's northeast region." It did not elaborate.

   Prior to the media announcement, diplomatic sources said Choe arrived in the city of Harbin in Heilongjiang Province on Nov. 1. The premier inspected electronics and medicine companies and an agricultural research center in Harbin on Nov. 2, the sources said.

   The series of visits are seen as aimed at consolidating the ties between Pyongyang and Beijing as the two countries seek to develop a joint economic bloc that draws from resources in the region.

   The KCNA reported on Nov. 8 that the premier visited various places in Shenyang City and Dalian City, Liaoning Province. The delegation paid visits to the Shenyang Blower Co., Ltd., the Dalian Locomotive Production Company, the Dalian Bingshan Group, the Liaoning Fishery Group, the ancient historic site of Beiling Park and other places which leader Kim Jong-il had visited last May.

   Meanwhile, Choe met with Wang Min, secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Chen Zhenggao, governor of the Liaoning Provincial People's Government, according to the KCNA.

   Also, Choe and his party visited Jilin Yuwen Middle School on Nov. 5. In August, Kim Jong-il paid a visit to the school which his father, former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, attended for two and a half years, according to the KCNA.

   The premier wrote in the visitors' book that he hoped Jilin Yuwen Middle School, "associated with the revolutionary feats of President Kim Il-sung and the revolutionary history of leader Kim Jong-il, would remain a model of the traditional DPRK-China friendship and train more talents needed for the modernization drive in China."

   The premier and his party made the rounds of the Harbin Electrical Group, the Harbin Huijiang Foodstuff Company, the Changchun Rolling Stock Company, the Changchun Agricultural Expo, the Jilin Chemical Fiber Group, the Yaowang Shrine in Beishan Park, which Kim Jong-il visited last August, and various other places.

   Meanwhile, the premier separately met and had conversations with Ji Bingxuan, secretary of the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China; Wang Xiankui, acting governor of the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government; Sun Zhengcai, secretary of the Jilin Provincial Committee of the CPC; and Wang Yulin, governor of the Jilin Provincial People's Government, the KCNA said.

   The premier spent four days in Jilin Province, where there is wide speculation that the two countries have made significant economic progress. The two states are known to have been developing the northeastern region of China that connects the three cities of Changchun, Jilin and Tumen. Since there are no harbors, the Chinese provinces will have access to the Pacific through North Korea's east coast.

   In addition, the North is trying to open up Rajin port and push for development in cooperation with China and Russia. The development project is gaining momentum steadily because the three countries share common ground in the Tumen River estuary and are showing great interest in the project as the port gives three Chinese northeastern provinces easy access to the Pacific. Also, the Chinese side plans to pave a 93-kilometer road linking Hunchun in its Jilin Province to the North Korean port.

   As a last leg of his trip, the premier traveled on Nov. 7 to the northeastern Chinese port city of Dalian, aiming to strengthen economic ties between the countries. The Cabinet premier was in the city of Shenyang before he departed for Dalian, where he toured major industrial facilities as his country pushes to develop one of its own port cities near China into an economic hot spot.

   Choe's trip to China came after 12 of the highest-ranking North Korean mayoral and provincial chiefs visited the same region in October, touring food, chemical and agricultural factories along with other major facilities.

   Chief secretaries of provincial chapters of the WPK wrapped up their unexpected visit to China in a series of growing high-level exchanges between the allies. High-profile exchanges between North Korea and Beijing have increased significantly this year.

   The KCNA reported on Oct. 23 that the friendly delegation composed of responsible secretaries of 12 WPK provincial chapters led by Mun Kyong-dok, the responsible secretary of the WPK's Pyongyang chapter, returned home after an eight-day trip to China.

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