A North Korean party and government delegation led by Jo Yong-won, a secretary of the Workers’ Party Central Committee whom Yonhap describes as Kim Jong Un’s closest aide and the party Politburo’s No. 2 figure, left Pyongyang by special plane on November 14 and arrived in Moscow, according to the Korean Central News Agency as reported by Yonhap. The visit was made at the invitation of Dmitry Medvedev, chairman of Russia’s ruling United Russia party, and KCNA said the two countries’ alliance relationship is being consolidated day by day, but it gave no purpose or itinerary for the stay. Analysts cited by Yonhap speculate Jo may be acting as an envoy carrying Kim’s message ahead of a US-China-Russia trilateral meeting at the APEC summit in Shenzhen; no meeting with Medvedev or President Putin and no agreement has been reported.
Kim Jong Un's closest aide leads delegation to Moscow
A North Korean party and government delegation led by Jo Yong-won, described by Yonhap as Kim Jong Un's closest aide, arrived in Moscow on November 14 at the invitation of United Russia chairman Dmitry Medvedev, with no purpose, meeting or agreement yet announced.
Why it matters: A rare foreign trip by the Workers' Party's No. 2 figure extends the run of high-level North Korea-Russia exchanges since the 2024 partnership treaty, and it lands days before a reported US-China-Russia trilateral meeting at the APEC summit where the Korean Peninsula may be discussed.
Data as of Yonhap News Agency report of November 15, 2026, in Korean, read in full via the browser route in this run, relaying the Korean Central News Agency announcement of the same day. Single sourced: the visit's framing is Pyongyang's own statement, and no Russian statement, meeting or agreement has been reported. Developing item.
Sources
- 'Kim Jong-un's closest aide' Jo Yong-won visits Russia; North: 'Alliance relationship being elevated day by day' - Yonhap News Agency (in Korean), relaying KCNA - 2026-11-15