“Party secretary Cho Yong-won, North Korea’s closest ally, leads the delegation to Russia.”

Kyodo News reported that Cho Yong-won, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party and head of the Organization and Guidance Department, known as North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un's closest confidant, headed to Russia with a party and government delegation on the 14th.

According to reports, Party Secretary Cho Yong-won departed for Russia by air from Pyongyang International Airport on this day, reportedly in response to an invitation from Dmitry Medvedev, head of Russia's ruling party, United Russia.

Kyodo reported that the meeting with Medvedev is expected to confirm the policy of strengthening relations between North Korea and Russia.

However, it is reported that the specific schedule of stay has not been confirmed.

Party Secretary Cho Yong-won is known as the closest person to Chairman Kim Jong-un.

He rose to the ranks of the Politburo Standing Committee, Secretary of the Workers' Party, and Central Military Commission of the Party, and last March, he was elected as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, equivalent to the Speaker of the National Assembly in Korea. Last June, three months later, he moved to the position of party organizational secretary.

Kyodo reported that on this day, high-ranking North Korean officials, including North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hee and Workers' Party International Secretary Kim Song-nam, and Russian Ambassador to North Korea Andrey Leonidovich Podjolyshev came to Pyongyang International Airport to see off Party Secretary Cho Yong-won.