Close aide to N. Korean leader reappears after 2-month absence

SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) — Jo Yong-won, a North Korean party secretary considered a close aide to leader Kim Jong-un, has reappeared in public after a two-month absence, a state media photo showed Sunday.

The photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) showed Jo, along with other officials, attending a trade show for regional factories in Pyongyang from Tuesday to Saturday, marking his reappearance in state media.

Jo was last seen in state media Feb. 28 while attending groundbreaking ceremonies for regional industrial factories. His prolonged absence had raised speculation about a possible purge.

South Korea’s unification ministry, which is in charge of inter-Korean affairs, said last week it was keeping close tabs on possible changes to his status.

Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said that Jo’s two-month absence suggests that he may have undergone “revolutionary” education, possibly for disciplinary purposes.