Premier Choe’s Daughter’s Promotion

DPRK Premier Choe Yong Rim (C) speaking during the 3rd Party Conference on 28 September 2010. Choe's daughter has recently been promoted to deputy director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Choe Son Hui was educated overseas and has served as an interpreter at the Six Party Talks (Photo: NKLW/KCTV)

Choe Son Hui, daughter of DPRK Premier Choe Yong Rim, has been promoted to a deputy director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Ms. Choe has served as a language interpreter at the Six Party Talks, and also participated in other DPRK interactions (including former US President Bill Cinton’s August 2009 trip to Pyongyang).  Ms. Choe is currently traveling with Senior Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kim Kye Gwan, who arrived in Beijing earlier this week for meetings with PRC officials.  According to Yonhap, she has studied in Malta, Austria and China.  From Yonhap:

Choe Son-hui, who is also the adopted daughter of the communist nation’s third highest-ranking official, Premier Choe Yong-rim, interpreted for the country’s envoys to the six-nation talks aimed at denuclearizing the North until December 2008. The negotiations, involving the two Koreas, host China, Japan, Russia and the U.S., have since stalled after North Korea walked out in protest over U.N. sanctions against the country for its nuclear and missile tests.

Since Tuesday, Choe has been traveling with First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan on his trip to Beijing, where he is expected to meet China’s chief nuclear envoy Wu Dawei to discuss resuming the talks.

“Choe worked as a researcher this year and was recently promoted to deputy director,” said the source. “Choe’s role goes beyond English interpretation and (we) need to keep watching her future activities.”

Choe Yong Rim is the mild-mannered DPRK Premier appointed to his current position at the 3rd plenum of the 12th SPA in June 2010.  In his five-decade career, he has served in a number of senior positions in the party and government, including two lengthy terms managing Kim Il Sung’s Presidential Office.  Choe was elected a member of the CC KWP Political Presidium during the 3rd Party Conference in September.